When Humility Leads to Mercy

As our tour atop the Maid of the Mist charted the Niagara River, we were suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of smallness. The 90-foot vessel, filled to capacity with 600 other eager spectators, rounded the meander to reveal the breathtaking wonder of the Niagara Falls. We were first inundated by the billows of mist. I steadied my family, bracing them from the wind-force of the colossal falls and keeping them from slipping as the mist covered the boat’s surface with a layer of moisture. The culminating moment of the tour was when the vessel rotated, showcasing a panoramic view of the Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the three falls comprising this magnificent natural wonder of the world.

Sometimes it’s okay to feel small. The prophet Amos acknowledged the minuteness of Israel amid a series of visions of God’s plan to bring judgment against His people. Israel’s detours into idolatry warranted God’s just consequence. Confronted with the Lord’s discipline, the prophet pleaded with Him: “O Sovereign Lord, please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel is so small” (Amos 7:2 NLT). Before the Sovereign Lord, Amos had grown fully aware of the inadequacy and helplessness of his people apart from divine mercy.

The phrase “Sovereign Lord” occurs 20 times in the Book of Amos. The prophet was vividly aware of the ascendant, incomparable glory of the one Creator God. Amos called out to the same God who steered Israel through slavery, the wilderness, and captivity, repeatedly triumphing over its foes in battle. In pleading for forgiveness and acknowledging Israel’s insufficiency apart from God, Amos paved the way for reconciliation. The Sovereign Lord looked favorably on Amos, yielding to his cry for help, and spared His people from the prophesied judgment.

We should never be made to feel small through intimidation or bullying. Yet, when one’s sense of “smallness” comes through an encounter with God’s marvelous wonder, it is attended with humility, forgiveness, and even worship. In this way of feeling small, we point to our Sovereign Creator and make much of Him. Such humility elicits God’s favor: "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor" (1 Peter 5:6). When circumstances (or our past) make us feel destined for a bleak future, we can look to the Sovereign Lord who is always ready to forgive. He sees into our heart of hearts, rewarding our humble plea for help. He lifts our burdens, raises us up, and establishes our way in due time.

Lord, help me acknowledge my own inadequacies, resting in the assurance of Your sufficiency. Though I and the people I love make mistakes, Your mercy is greater still. Look on us once again in the forgiveness of the Risen Christ and be lifted high.

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.