new church life : november / december 2016
Lord was with him . And all of Israel knew that he was called to be a prophet of the Lord .
• Isaiah was terrified by a vision of the Lord on His throne and felt unworthy . A seraphim flew to him and placed a live , burning coal on his mouth , saying , “ Thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged .” Then Isaiah “ heard the voice of the Lord saying : Whom shall I send , and who will go for us ?” Isaiah knew that what he was being asked to do would not be easy , but he readily answered : “ Hear I am . Send me .”
• In one of the most beautiful stories in the Word , the Angel Gabriel surprises the virgin Mary with startling news : “ Hail , thou that art highly favored , the Lord is with thee ; blessed art thou among women .” Mary is understandably troubled but the angel tells her , “ fear not ,” that she has “ found favor with God ” and would bring forth a son and call His name Jesus . She did not understand since she “ knew not a man ,” but was assured that “ the Holy Spirit shall come upon thee , and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee .” Mary did not protest that she was not worthy but said simply : “ Behold the handmaiden of the Lord . Be it unto me according to Thy Word .” And when she visited her cousin Elizabeth , also unexpectedly with child ( John the Baptist ), she humbly accepted her role : “ My soul doth magnify the Lord , and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior . For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden . . . . For He that is mighty hath done to me great things , and holy is His name .” These are inspiring stories of men and women putting their own egos aside when called by the Lord and answering the call to humility . We are likewise called – not as dramatically but every bit as purposefully – knowing that as we walk humbly with the Lord He is always with us .
As the Rev . W . Cairns Henderson wrote in a New Church Life editorial in 1970 : “ The truly humble man is neither cringingly servile before his God nor fawningly subservient to other men . It is part of his humility to compel himself to do good , to obey the Lord ’ s commands , and to speak the truth ; and he who does this can act no otherwise but with confidence , decision and vigor , which yet are not grounded in self . Indeed , it is the truly humble man who alone walks the earth with dignity ; for his head is uplifted to the Lord and his is the full stature of a man . It is the humble man , the man of the earth , with whom the Lord dwells on high .”
That is living justly , loving mercy , walking humbly with God . That is strength .
( BMH )
520