There is the story told of two geese and a turtle that developed a deep friendship. As the nights became shorter and cooler the geese started talking about flying to a warmer place and one night openly the geese began discussing how they will miss their friend the turtle. They began to wonder how their friend the turtle will cope in the winter since he could not fly.
The turtle then came up with an excellent idea, “why don’t you get a strong stick the two of you can hold it with your strong beaks at both ends and I will hold on to the middle with my strong teeth and that way I can fly with you.”
“Are you sure you can hold on long enough” the geese asked, “Sure I am very strong” the turtle replied.
As these three flew over a farm, a farmer was awestruck by this sight as two geese and a turtle flew over his farm, he called his wife who saw the sight and could not help but exclaimed. “What a great idea! Who came up with such a brilliant idea?” The turtle could not resist the praise and said “I did” the rest is history.
Pride destroys everything, pride is subtle and has that single letter word, “I”. The key to success therefore is humility. The Hebrew word for it is ANAH - pronounced AW-NAW - which means humiliation of heart, being modest, humbleness of mind, submission, abase oneself, gentleness, and be hard with self.
Humility is not having my own way. It is not things have to happen the way I want it. Humility is not weakness. Humility is not having a low opinion of yourself, or being worthless, feeble and confused.
v True humility is strength and trust in God.
v True humility is “oh God may your will alone be done in my life”.
v True humility is “oh God I am not used to this discomfort but you are my comfort”
v “I don’t know why I am in this place but may your will alone be done”.
“And thou shall remember all the way which Jehovah thy God hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou would keep his commandments, or not. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knew not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man live.” (Deut 8:2-3)
God said I humbled you, humiliated you to see your heart, to see how you will respond to God’s dealings in your life. I am not talking about negative humiliation; I am talking about the humility that brings reward.
Jesus’ death on the cross was the most humiliating punishment any one could have received at that time in that part of the world, yet the bible says, “and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.” The son of God, the creator of the universe was humiliated. It did not change His obedience to His heavenly father; it did not change His love for His heavenly father.
“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek of him a straight way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.” (Ezr. 8:21)
Ezra’s confidence was not in what he could do but in God, he humbled himself in fasting, because he was ashamed to ask the king for help. Why couldn’t he? Because he had spoken about how great his God is. He chose to humble himself before God, trust and have confidence in what God can do.
Paul said in Philippians 3:3, “and have no confidence in the flesh”. Properly placed confidence is not confidence in the flesh or ones ability but in God. Humility is what makes us submit our will to God.
When Gideon was going to fight the Midianites, God asked him to reduce his soldiers, for one reason only,
“And the Lord said to Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.” (Jdg 7:2)
Gideon reduced his soldiers to 22,000, he was asked to reduce them yet again, then he had ten thousands, they were further reduced to 300, so that Gideon’s confidence would not be in his soldiers or ability but in God.
God will strip us of everything so that our confidence will be in Him and not in man.
