Please explain James 4:10.
James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you” (NASB). To humble ourselves is to take the low place, recognizing our tendency to be proud. As the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 23:12, “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” Concerning pride, we read in Proverbs 16:5, “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.”
James 4:10 tells us to humble ourselves “in the presence of the Lord.” As believers, we should frequently humble ourselves in prayer to the Lord and confess any sins that we have done recently. This makes it possible for us to have unbroken fellowship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our relationship as children of God cannot be broken, but unconfessed sin can break our fellowship with the Lord. What a privilege it is that we can pray to the Lord and that He hears us! As we read in Hebrews 13:5, “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Since He is always with us, we do not need to go into a church building in order to be in the presence of the Lord. We can talk to Him at any time and He loves to hear from us!
If we humble ourselves in His presence, then He will exalt us. However, let us not become prideful as a result of being honored by the Lord. King Nebuchadnezzar had to learn this lesson. He thought that he deserved all of the credit for the wealth and power of his kingdom, but God humbled him extensively. As we read in Daniel 4:33, “The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.” We know that Nebuchadnezzar learned his lesson because of what we read in Daniel 4:36-37. Nebuchadnezzar tells us in these verses, “At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.” As Nebuchadnezzar did, let us be sure to praise the Lord for any honor or encouragement that the Lord gives to us. (183.8) (DJ)