Acknowledging Pride
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Ezekiel 29, 30 and Psalm 6 (NIV)
(David Mok, SWR Committee member)
READ:
As I read today’s passages, Ezekiel 29:3 and Psalm 6:1 stood out for me.
OBSERVE:
Ezekiel 29 and 30 are about Ezekiel’s prophecy of God’s punishment for Pharaoh, king of Egypt. In verse 3, Ezekiel recounts what God said of Pharaoh God said that He would come against Pharaoh, who had arrogantly said, “The Nile belongs to me; I made it for myself.” God holds Pharaoh accountable for his pride, and He announced that He will use Babylon to bring him down.
APPLY:
It is easy to read a story about a proud man and think, “I am not like him” or believe that I will never act as he did. However, it is harder to look at myself and examine whether I am indeed behaving just like the person in the story. When I have done a job well or achieved peer recognition in my profession, how often have I felt pleased with myself and experienced a similar feeling of, “The Nile belongs to me; I made it for myself”? God will hold me accountable for my pride, as our God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.
DO:
I will commit every step of my future endeavours in prayer, asking God for His grace and favour. In doing so, should there be any resultant material success or reputational acclamation, I will know that it comes from our Lord and not my own effort. In this way, I will not even have a fleeting thought that the achievements are due to my own effort. This is my way of dealing with my ‘sinward’ nature towards pride. Also, I need to have a healthy fear of God. His punishment is real, and I need to take heed.
PRAY:
Dear Lord, forgive me when I forget about You when others praise me. Also, forgive me when I overlook You after achieving success. Please do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath; instead, have mercy on me. I am grateful for Your grace and pray that I may continually experience the joy of salvation as I live out my life in the world but not of this world. Amen.
