As a missionary, I have been walking with the Lord by faith for the past 14 years, fully depending on Him for everything: provision, direction, and inspiration. These past years have been such a blessing to learn God’s simple and yet amazing ways and see His powerful hand every step of the way.
God spoke to me through a verse that I have read so many times before but recently got a clearer glimpse of its significance. Matthew 11:29 says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
The words learn of me spoke to me as I had never encountered before. Here, I see that Jesus is trying to teach us something about Himself and how He does things. He says, “For I am meek and lowly.”
In their shoes
One of my favorite classes in my college years was Financial Management. We did not have facts to memorize. Instead, we evaluated case studies of businesses that had gone bankrupt. Our assignment was to identify the main reasons why these businesses failed and come up with our best solution for how each enterprise could have been saved.
It would not have worked to offer a solution based on our own personality, characteristics, culture, or tradition. Our solution had to be based on the personality, characteristics, culture, and tradition of the CEO. Our teacher told us that we were just acting as consultants, not the owners of the business. Not following the instructions, most students found solutions based on their preferences rather than the CEO’s, so they failed the class.
List your favorite Bible characters, and ask why or how God used them in such a powerful way; the answer will always be by meekness and lowliness.
The underdogs
This kind of thinking is also true when it comes to God’s work. We try to do God’s work based on our preferences rather than the CEO’s. Many examples in the Bible show that God’s way of doing things is through His meek and lowly nature. List your favorite Bible characters, and ask why or how God used them in such a powerful way; the answer will always be by meekness and lowliness.
As I have observed, God always used the underdogs. Take, for example, David, Joseph, Gideon, Paul, the 12 disciples, and Mary Magdalene. He uses top dogs as well, but He must convert them to underdogs first—like Moses. Moses was top in everything. He was the best Egypt could offer, yet God retrained him until he became the man that Numbers 12:3 describes as “very meek.”
Also consider God’s awesome miracles in the Bible, such as the deliverance from Egypt, the Red Sea crossing, and the feeding of the five thousand. The manner and instruments God used were of a meek, humble, and lowly nature.
Second Chronicles 7:14 is where we see God’s heart cry, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves.” Even before we pray, He desires that we humble our hearts before Him.
Participation multiplied
As I speak in different churches almost every week, I see a huge difference in the churches when they take God at His word and seek Him in humility of heart, being meek and lowly before Him. Let me share a recent story from a church in California, United States.
Amid very challenging surroundings, this church experienced how powerful it is to lean on God in prayer. When I was invited to speak there, they started praying intentionally right away for their heart preparation. The pastor told me that he was praying for just one person to join the prayer session every day besides his wife. To his surprise 8 to 10 individuals were faithfully present at 5:00 A.M. for 24 days before I came to speak.
One of the burdens of the pastor for his church was attendance at their Sabbath vespers program. It had been running for a year and a half but was attended by only 6 to 8 members. Before they started praying as a church, he told his wife that he planned to cancel vespers and relaunch it at the beginning of the year. But he noticed something amazing the first weekend in their 24 days of prayer. That Sabbath vespers was attended by 26 people. The following week, 32 attended, and 36 the next! The pastor told me, “We didn’t do anything new during vespers; we just started praying as a church, and God brought people in.”
Each person who faithfully showed up for the 24 days of prayer had a testimony to share of how God sustained and empowered them and gave them peace. One was a mother who prayed that God would give her the wisdom to study the Bible with her eight-year-old daughter. God answered that prayer! The eight-year-old loved the Bible so much, and when she misbehaved, her mom would tell her to straighten up or else there would be no Bible study that night. Her daughter responded right away because she did not want to miss studying the Bible with Mom!
His work done His way
God’s ways are of a meek and lowly nature. It might not seem grand, sophisticated, or innovative, but His ways are the ways that work. This is His mission, and His work must be done His way. Let us continue to learn of Him.
