God Honors The Lowly

God Honors The Lowly

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:13–14

While Christ’s birth goes unnoticed on earth, it’s being highly honored in heaven—a thousand times more highly. Suppose a single angel came from heaven and praised you and what you have done. Isn’t it true you would prefer this to all of the world’s praise and honor? You would wonder if you could endure the humility and contempt that it would require to deserve it. What kind of honor is this that all the angels in heaven can’t contain themselves for joy? They burst forth and let the poor shepherds in the fields hear them preaching, praising, singing, and pouring out their joy beyond measure. How could all the joy and honor of those in Bethlehem—even of all the kings of the earth—compare to this joy and honor?

Notice how lavishly God honors those who are despised by the world. Here you see that God’s eyes are turned toward the low places, for God sits above the angels and looks down to the depths. The angels were sent, not to princes or powerful people, but rather to uneducated shepherds, the lowliest people on earth. Didn’t they want to speak to the high priests, the highly educated men in Jerusalem, who had much to say about God and angels? No, the ones worthy of receiving such great honor from heaven were the poor shepherds, who were considered nobodies by the world.

God completely ignores what is high. Still, we race around madly to reach useless heights on earth in order to be honored in heaven. But God’s eyes are turned only to the depths. So all we end up doing is stepping out of God’s line of sight.