Before Honour is Humility (Proverbs 15:33)
Proverbs 15:33 (KJV)
33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.
With the passing of the longest reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II anointed by God to be the Queen of England and the Defender of the Christian faith. There are many different opinions and feelings surrounding the idea of monarchy.
People are very sensitive because after reigning in the UK for 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II has been the only queen most people in the UK have ever known.
Some are reminded at this time of the passing of a beloved Mother or Grandmother in their own families and are very emotional. Some are reminded of the bitter sting of colonialism and the unaddressed reparations for the horrors of slavery and economic exploitation.
In Britain the nation has entered into our days of mourning and honouring the Queen of England. As I sat and listened to the accounts of those that met the Queen there were two main things that were spoken of repeatedly, honour and humility for a life lived in service to her country.
There are a great many people that do not agree with everything the monarchy represents but have still decided to honour Queen Elizabeth II because of her life of service and the humility she walked in.
Here is a demonstration of the word of God lived out by an imperfect human being that just so happened to be made Queen.
The question I ask is, in your imperfect humanity are you ready for what God has in store for you? As Queen Elizabeth came to the throne suddenly and unexpectedly are you ready for your unexpected suddenly?
She took her faith seriously and reverently worshiped the Lord; this is the lesson that God teaches His people through our scripture this week.
Reverently worship God no matter your position, your title, or station in life, the Lord is God above all and He is worthy of the worship due to Him. This is how God’s wisdom is revealed and received.
The next lesson God teaches us is humility comes first, then honour follows; many want to be honoured but have not mastered humility. Oftentimes this can be because humility may be incorrectly seen as a weakness, leaving a person vulnerable to attack.
Queen Elizabeth II demonstrated that humility is not a weakness, humility is a strength that can be deployed in order to be a unifying force for good. Not every decision was easy or agreed with by all, however, what is undeniable, is the humble, loyal and consistent service to the nation and other far-reaching lands the Queen has given during her 70 year reign.
Whenever anyone refers to ‘The Queen’, no matter what country they are in, they all know the person is referring to Queen Elizabeth II.
The British Broadcast Service still airs Church services every Sunday morning for those who cannot leave their homes to worship Jesus Christ.
Simply MichMich
Whenever I travel and my English accent is heard 9 times out of 10 I am asked if I know the Queen. I always chuckle at that question.
Humble discretion has been the word used when world leaders that have been asked to recall what they admire the most about the Queen. After 70 years of meeting with figureheads and leaders from all over the world she had seen it all and was a much-valued source of wisdom and insight to new and seasoned leaders alike.
In the UK, in my or my family elder’s lifetime we have never had to fear for our life or our safety at the hands of the royal military as we entered our church buildings to worship God.
The British Broadcast Service still airs Church services every Sunday morning for those who cannot leave their homes to worship Jesus Christ.
The Christian faith is woven into the very fabric of UK society because Jesus had given His disciples the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20), they obeyed and preached the gospel in the lands that became the UK and God appointed a defender of the faith to stand watch over the nation.
Whatever our opinion, as people of God, it is recognised that this is a service worth honouring.
This week let’s reflect upon our own lives before the Lord, have we placed honour before humility and need to reset a few things? Do our lives demonstrate God’s word spoken in Proverbs 15:33? Have we been consistent and loyal in what God has given us to do?
Or are we still waiting for that moment when God’s purpose for our lives becomes apparent? Wherever we are in life, let’s reverently worship our Lord God for who He is.
Walk in His wisdom and humility so that we may be able to rightly handle honour.
This is God’s word spoken in love. Remember The LORD our God, He is good and His mercies endure forever. May the blessings of the LORD overtake you and come upon you and His love surround you, for His glory. Have a blessed week. In Jesus Name.
Be a blessing and share this with someone who needs to hear this today.
Take Care x