"The doctrines of grace humble a man without degrading him and exalt a man without inflating him." ~ Charles Hodge

I tend to be someone who doesn’t dodge their emotions, but deals with them head on--if I am sad, I sit down and cry it out until the tears are dry; if I am angry, I process what has made me this way to seek the root and remove it, etc.--and then I move on.

But I do not wallow in these emotions alone. I always bring the Word.

I tend to really resonate with Psalms. One of the things I love about them is that they capture the real emotions of a human and show what happens when in those painful places you speak Truth to yourself. In a single Psalm, you find psalmists who, pushed to the point of despair because of their circumstances, after their encounter with the Lord (pouring themselves out before Him and glorying in the Truth of Him) find themselves lifted to their feet with hands upraised in joyful praise. Their circumstances didn’t change, but they did. That is such a wonderful example of the relevance and importance of knowing the Bible, knowing the testimonies and promises inside, and the character of the God who made them.

So, in my sadness yesterday, sitting in the presence of the Lord and bringing to Him my sorrows, I found myself in David’s Psalm 21:1–7:

“O Lord, in Your strength the king rejoices, and in Your salvation how greatly he exults! You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah. For You meet him with rich blessings; You set a crown of fine gold upon his head. He asked life of You; You gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. His glory is great through Your salvation; splendor and majesty You bestow on him. For You make him most blessed forever; You make him glad with the joy of Your presence. For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.”

Do you ever read scripture and feel yourself physically humbled, slowly sinking into your chair with each word as strength leaves your body? This passage does that to me. 

James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.” I am often struck by the realization that in seeing the ways in which He has exalted me, I am increasingly humbled. I mean, look at this verse, it is the declaration of the lavish love, blessing and favor given us by our God! In reminds of these Truths: In Christ, I have been given God’s strength in my helpless weakness (2 Cor 12:9) and salvation in the face of deserved destruction (1 Peter 2:24); in Christ, I am richly blessed with every Spiritual and eternal good thing (Ephesians 1–3); in Christ, I am royalty, to reign with my King (2 Cor 2:11–13); in Christ, God has given me more than I could ever think to ask for (Eph 3:20-21); in Christ, I will stand before the Father blameless and holy (Eph 5:25–27); in Christ, I have a hope while on earth and an eternal inheritance (1 Peter 1:3–5); in Christ, I have fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11), an open invitation into the presence of the Lord (Heb 4:14–16), and the word of a faithful God on which to plant my unsteady feet (Deut 7:9).

So as I came to the Lord, curled up in His arms with tears falling on “the broad expanse of who He is," I read the words declaring His love for me, and my tears turned into those of joyful humility as I bowed to Him in praise. 

I praise You, Lord, that to glory in You is to bask in the beauty of the eternal, which never ceases to overshadow the gloom of all that is temporary. You are more than enough and I praise You.