Humbled to be Exalted

Author: Katie

I praise You, Father for all the times I have been told by man that I am not “good enough”. I praise You for helping me to see how unworthy I am in and of myself. I know it is not your will that I feel worthless…and at times I have. But in all the rejection I have experienced over the last few years, I have learned how prideful and self-centered I can be. In this realization, I have learned the exalting power of humility. I know in myself I am nothing…but with Christ I am everything and I can do all things and that is where I place my worth…in HIM. I praise You for the trials I have endured. I praise you for the agonizing fires and storms that have brought me to this place in You…that have helped me to understand Christ in Me the hope of glory. I can do nothing to glorify You…it is You working through me that brings glory to Yourself. You cannot be glorified through my life if I am prideful…only humble. I am exalted because of You…not anything I have done. You have brought me through a time of emptying…only to fill me. You asked me to let go…only to give me more…more of You…and that is far beyond anything I had to lose.

I have learned Philip. 3:7-14 “Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings,(a life theme for 2008-2009) being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

I need not exalt myself. I need not defend myself. I need not prove when I have been wronged. I need not seek revenge or justice out of my own power…but only to seek You…to focus on You. Vengeance is Yours and You are a God of just and mercy and grace. It is my job to love, to forgive, to be kind (love others and esteem them as better than myself, love God and love others...the focus you gave me for 2001)

I am so blown away by all the focus themes you gave me over the last decade and how each one built upon the other and brought me to this place! Each one prepared me for the trials and blessings that were coming that year and beyond! You are with me always and always in control! How much I try to control things to no avail...but when I let go and let You...wow!

It is the humble you exalt….and it is for this reason I praise You for everything I had to suffer through in order to be made aware of how insignificant and helpless I am apart from You. You make me humble. Whenever I start to exalt myself…Lord, remind me of this and help me to remain humble. I am nothing…nothing in and of my own power. Apart from the vine I can do nothing…but abiding in the vine (another life theme)…"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)." In Christ alone I am complete.

Lord, thank you for showing me how prideful and self centered I can be. Thank you for bringing me through a place of humiliation and total devastation so you could rebuild. Thank you for brokenness. Thank you for allowing me to fellowship in the suffering! Thank you for bringing me down in order to exalt me to higher places in You than I could have ever imagined! I want more!

This year, you told me it would be my Year of Jubilee! And blessed be Your name...it has been! But, that's another blog in and of itself!