God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. —James 4:6
Again and again in Scripture, we learn that God “resists the proud” (see Proverbs 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). The concept here is that God sets Himself in “battle array” against those who are proud; He stiff-arms the arrogant; He keeps them at a distance. God repels those who are self-sufficient and who take unholy pride in their accomplishments.
On the other hand, He pours grace on the humble. He comes to the rescue of the humble. Like an ambulance racing to the scene in response to a call for help, so God races to the scene when His children humble themselves and acknowledge their need. As Charles Spurgeon reminds us, “He that humbles himself under the hand of God shall not fail to be enriched, uplifted, sustained, and comforted by the ever-gracious One. It is a habit of Yahweh to cast down the proud, and lift up the lowly.”2
2 Charles H. Spurgeon, Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith: Daily Readings (Scotland, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1996), 210.
Make it Personal
How can you humble yourself under God’s hand in private and personal ways today?