He has shown you, people, what is good.
And what does the LORD require?
To do justice
And to love kindness
And to walk humbly with your God. -Micah 6:8
Walking in humility- I think to myself, “What does that look like?
So, I close my eyes and I imagine myself walking humbly with someone. I think, “I need to get to know this person and have a good idea about their character.” I imagine that if I was really walking with them in humility, I would show deference and respect. I would trust them and agree with them on the important things.
I am frankly finding it hard to imagine. Imagining this walk of humility is taking more creative thinking than I would hope. I wonder why it is so hard to imagine myself walking in humility? Can you relate?
I find that my resistance to walking in humility has a lot to do with fear. In order to walk with someone in humility, I have to give up some of my control. I will need to put myself in a vulnerable situation because my rights will be put aside. It feels scary because now my view becomes limited as I walk with someone in humility, trailing slightly behind them.
Knowing this about myself is not only an emotional downer when it comes to my walk with God. It shakes me up when I realize it is really an act of disobedience. Although I might consider walking humbly as a choice for how I participate in religious life, the Micah passage makes a clear point that this is much more- it is a complete way of life. This passage is not a list of helpful suggestions for living a good and proper religious life. The background theme of this passage has a strong legal tone. In this part of Micah, Israel is figuratively on trial for sinning against God. What was their crime? Not doing justice, not loving kindness and not walking humbly with God. Since there are not a lot of gray areas in legal jargon, these statements are requirements. No choices here. These are God’s standards and his framework from which to live as His people. He requires Israel, and us, to walk humbly with Him.
So, what do I do with my uncomfortable feelings of vulnerability, powerlessness and uncertainty that come up when I walk humbly and trustingly with God? I know it may sound way too simple, but the phrase that pops into my mind is: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way.” Trust and obey: that simple song we sang as children. The simplest of messages are frequently what we most need to hear. Because, according to Micah, there really is no other way.
Some things to ponder:
How can trusting God with all parts of your journey cause you to feel vulnerable?
What comfort can you receive from Scripture?
(see Joshua 1:9, Psalm 9:10, Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 15:13)
As you walk humbly with God, what rights might you need to give up? How can you be sure God expects this of you?
(see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Corinthians 9, Mark 8:34-35, Matthew 5:38-42, Philippians 2:3-4)
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