Read: Daniel 4:1-3; 34-37
Those who walk in pride he is able to humble. (v. 37)
I have had my share of humbling (even humiliating) experiences. When I was younger, I would agonize when I failed a test; forgot my lines onstage; or made a fool of myself at a party. I did everything I could to protect my image and recover my pride. Now that I am older, I have made peace with the fact that life in this world is humbling. It is not a question of whether you will be humbled, but how you will respond.
When Nebuchadnezzar put himself in God’s place, God put Nebuchadnezzar in his place. Having been humbled, Nebuchadnezzar had a choice. He could fight to recapture his old power and glory, or he could acknowledge the true source of all power and the One deserving of all glory. Nebuchadnezzar’s eyes were opened to a glory infinitely greater than his own. He discovered true peace not in pride, but praise.
There is such relief in relinquishing our pride and reorienting ourselves through praise. Nebuchadnezzar called his humbling circumstances “wonders that the Most High God has done” (v. 2). When we are preoccupied with God’s glory, we see it even in moments that wound our pride. Those moments remind us that God is God, and we are not. When our glory fades, God’s glory shines through. As Paul puts it, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).
As you pray, ask God to be glorified, even when you are humbled.
About the Author
Ben Van Arragon is the Minister of Worship and Leadership at Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He preaches and teaches the Bible in church, online, and anywhere else he has the opportunity.
