Birthing Humility ...

Although it was 33 years ago, I remember, as though it were yesterday, the morning I went into labor with my son, my first born.  I had enjoyed a beautiful pregnancy, a time of amazing preparations and incredible discoveries, but the time had arrived for me to go through the birthing process.  As the contractions became increasingly apparent I sat on the corner of our bed and soon realized that I wanted NOTHING to do with the labor that lay ahead of me.  Fear of the unknown overwhelmed me and despite all that I tried to think of to escape the ordeal ... I had no choice in the matter ... I had to go through the tough part of the birthing process in order to get to the other side where the Lord's glory would so obviously prevail.

The same can be said of situations that come into our everyday lives.  Many of us deal with lifelong afflictions ... and others of us fall upon the unexpected diagnosis of some dreaded disease.  Whether it's something that is suddenly thrust upon us or it's been a part of our lives for a long time, our inclination is to sit on the corner of our beds and do all we can to find a way to avoid the 'labor' that lay ahead of us.  We gather prayer warriors and go to the Lord asking Him to remove the cup from us when, in fact, the assignment that lay ahead of us is to be faced head on.  In God's nature we can be assured that He does not set out to assign us with times of overwhelming labor, and there are times that the Holy Spirit will display His power through divine impartations of deliverance, but equally notable are events in which we ... like Jesus Himself ... find that we must endure the cup for the glory of the Father.  This isn't something that comes naturally ... or by any means easy ... but nonetheless, our ultimate peace will come as we see that we have birthed a humility in which God's glory is displayed.

Our assignment then comes as we study the Apostle Paul's time spent on the corner of his bed looking for a way to avoid his thorn in the side ... his 'labor' assignment.  There, in 2 Cor 12:9 Jesus Himself tells Paul ... "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  Not the answer he was hoping for, I'm sure, but when birthing humility ... that perfect surrender of our will over to the will of the Father ... you soon realize that your assignment involves a journey in which we, in and of ourselves, are unable to endure ... to labor.  But given the power of the Holy Spirit that lies within us we can be assured of a day in which we stand before the Lord and hear "Well done, my good and faithful servant." (Mt 25:23)

Father God, seeking to encourage, I pray for peace in times of labor.  I pray that Jesus is seen by all as truth and strength ... as encouragement and love ... even in our darkest hours.  All praise to Your perfect plan.  All praise for Your hand that rests on our lives.  All praise to the King of kings and the Lord of lords ... our Savior, Jesus, in whom we now pray.
Amen and amen.