Experiencing God's Presence #159 - The One Year Experiencing God's Presence Devotional
Experiencing God's Presence #159
Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.
Psalm 138:6
The Lord keeps His distance from the proud. We can relate; no one likes to be around those who are full of themselves. Arrogance has a way of alienating people. It alienates God, too.
In human relationships, we are repulsed by extreme cases of arrogance and annoyed by mild ones. We tolerate degrees of it in people with other redeeming qualities but are impatient toward those in whom it is conspicuous. We let it slide with those who can benefit us but quickly reject those who can do us no favors. And while we spot pride easily in others, we hardly notice it in ourselves. We have sliding scales of judgment based on our personal preferences and experiences. In other words, our perception of pride is skewed.
God’s isn’t. He detects pride immediately and precisely wherever it exists, and it always pushes Him away. It doesn’t cause His love to fail—nothing can do that—but it certainly takes the pleasure out of the relationship. He can’t honor those who elevate themselves; if He showered His favor on them, they would receive it as affirmation of their inflated self-esteem. He’s too good for that. That’s why He lets the proud fall and keeps His distance.
If you crave God’s Presence, ruthlessly eliminate pride. We’d prefer that God give us the right attitude, but Scripture tells us to humble ourselves (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6). When He can trust you to remain humble—truly unassuming, not falsely modest—He is freed to enjoy and bless the relationship without fueling annoying attitudes. Good things come to those who aren’t ruined by them.
Lord, I know where I stand before You. I’m not worthy of Your favor, but You give it anyway. I accept it as a gift—a free gift based entirely on Your goodness and not my merit. I know You don’t have to bless me, but I’m so glad You do. And I’ll remain forever grateful.
