In the New Testament, we read about the apostle Paul having a thorn in his side.
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
After hearing the voice of God, Paul understood that the Lord allowed this thorn to torment him to prevent his head from swelling with pride. Like Paul, we all have the problem of pride. We may not realize it as such when we experience it. Pride waits until our guard is down before snatching away our better judgment. Take note that Paul calls this thorn a “messenger of Satan.” He does not accuse God of causing his suffering. Satan is out to provoke trouble on all sides; however, we have assurance that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Even in the case of Nebuchadnezzar, God uses the evils that Satan can inflict to show Nebuchadnezzar his pride problem. The Lord made it clear to Nebuchadnezzar that he needed to understand “…that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses” (Daniel 4:25). And Nebuchadnezzar went a whole year until he uttered those prideful words to himself bringing about the results of the prophecy, “...Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). God could have easily put Nebuchadnezzar to sleep and set a new king on the throne; however, God’s purpose was to bring Nebuchadnezzar into a relationship with Him. “While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!’” (Daniel 4:31). Pride was the very first sin and it is something that God cannot work with and without being checked, pride will cause us to lose the kingdom of heaven. The best defense against pride is to constantly be reminded that God alone is really worthy of praise and admiration.
God gives us talents and expects us to use them to His glory not our own. If we truly want to follow the Lord, and to do His will, then we need to be willing to do things not only outside of our comfort zones but also to let go of talents we think we should be using for His work. We all have hidden talents that only appear when the Lord calls us to do something for Him that we don’t feel qualified to do. These hidden capabilities are more useful to God than the things we are obviously good at if those known talents would cause us to become prideful. In order to further the mission of the church, God must remind us that it is through Him that we are able to accomplish anything. If we are completely confident in ourselves, then where does that leave God?
The things I’m now doing for the church I never would have thought I could do. And that is the point. I do not have a head for numbers and yet here I am as treasurer. I do not have talent for writing and yet here I am making an almost weekly blog post. I strive to be organized but fail on a daily basis, so why am I often helping to coordinate communications on various efforts within the church. The talents that God has given me, that I’m aware of, I have but little used in the service of the church. And it hit me that perhaps this is by design instead of by accident. God desires for all to walk humbly before Him, that we may be vessels of His Spirit. Therefore, as He did with so many people in the Bible, so will He do with you and me. He will use the talents we have that we don’t think highly of or even recognize to further the mission of the church. And if pride starts to knock He will allow things to happen to us to remind us of who really deserves the praise. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Truly God is saving us from ourselves. Let us rejoice in ALL the abilities He gives us!