“Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:9-10).
James speaks against pride in his writings. In The Living Bible we find this paraphrase, “Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let therre be sorrow and sincere grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Then when you realize your worthlessness before the Lord, he will lift you up, encourage, and help you.”
The extraordinary task God gave Mary could have caused her to be given over to pride. However, this maiden remained humble. I don’t think she ever wanted to be exalted. She was just an ordinary person who was willing to be used by God.
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Tonight is the final night of Hanukkah. Rejoice with Jewish believers as they celebrate Jesus as Light of the World. Pray that more of God’s chosen people might recognize Him as the Helper, the Servant Messiah and the Savior of all men.
