The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. (Psalm 25:9-10)

Biblically speaking, humility tends to go hand in hand with repentance; those who regret their sins will humble themselves before God, who in turn, guides the repentant heart in the just and right way to walk in that repentance. For instance, if there is restitution to be made, He will lead them in such a way that they will recognize those situations and the opportunities given to make things right. In this, and many other examples we could give, the Almighty teaches the humble the right way to do things until it becomes second nature — a habit that becomes a fixed way of living. Of course, getting to that place of complete humility sometimes means He must punish or allow affliction in order to weaken a hardened and resistant heart.

Still, the humble will recognize His way of correcting us is just and, in time, He helps us to understand the reason for our afflictions. Because in the end, God’s way is the path that leads to life, even when that path is strewn with difficulty and pain, as David said: “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth.” If God allows affliction to provoke us to turn from sin, whatever we suffer is to help us see the truth of His way. If our afflictions have nothing to do with sin, but are intended to draw us closer to Him, it is a demonstration of His kindness and mercy to us. How so? It presents an opportunity for us to shed the unfruitful and become everything He has ordained us to be.

No one likes to suffer for any reason, and yet, it is part and parcel of the believer’s journey. If we are going to follow Messiah we must carry our cross down the narrow and troublesome path. On the other hand, unlike the rebellious and unrepentant who will feel the fury of His wrath, we have the confidence that He will not put on us more than we can bear. For the sake of those who keep His covenant and testimonies, He does not mete out affliction in one furious blow but, instead, little by little according to His loving kindness. We may feel the sting of correction from time to time, but we also sense the mercy of our Father. If we are humble and remain so, we will come to understand that all His ways are merciful and truthful.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill 

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