Hearing His Voice #150

Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.

Psalm 138:6

God is repelled by pride. He keeps His distance from self-sufficient hearts that mistakenly assume they don’t need Him. Pride is so contrary to God’s nature and so resistant to His ways that He simply stays away. The proud cannot enjoy God’s presence and are not sensitive enough to hear His voice. Those who are full of themselves cannot be full of Him.

Humility, on the other hand, draws God closer. He loves the humble-hearted because they know their need for Him and are vulnerable enough to invite Him in. Jesus blessed the poor in spirit because they are empty enough of themselves to have room for God. An unassuming, unpretentious soul is a natural fit for the Spirit of God.

Like worship and gratitude, humility creates the right climate for hearing God. If God keeps His distance from the proud but is drawn to the humble, and if hearing His voice is a by-product of His closeness, then humility is a necessary condition for hearing Him. There are exceptions, of course—the proud Pharaoh heard God’s words through Moses, and the proud King Belshazzar saw the handwriting on the wall. But these were words of warning and judgment, not messages of compassion or calling. When God wants to speak tenderly and lovingly to His people, His voice resonates with clarity in hearts not cluttered with selfishness.

We tend to think of humility as something done to us—an attitude God works in us rather than one we can create—but Scripture tells us to humble ourselves. In other words, we are to choose humility over pride, thinking of others before ourselves. When we do, we position ourselves to receive whatever God says.

Lord, if there is anything in me that hinders Your voice—any pride that causes You to withdraw—point it out and help me deal with it. I willingly forsake anything that obstructs my perception of Your will. I gladly empty myself of me in order to be full of You.