Ps 9:13b BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

“He forgetteth not the cry of the humble”

Ps 9:13b

Who are the humble? These are people described in the Bible as the poor and lowly, the despised and rejected. It is very important, however, that we keep in mind that the Psalmist is not speaking here of all poor and lowly people. Nowhere does our Lord promise to hear the cry of someone just because he is poor or despised. The Psalmist is speaking here of the spiritually humble, people that Jesus describes in Matthew 5 where it is written, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”

We recognize at once that the “spiritually humble” includes you and me and every other believer in Jesus Christ. When it comes to our salvation we have nothing to be proud about. We certainly cannot be proud of our faith. St. Paul doubly emphasizes that truth when he tells us that the credit for our faith belongs solely to God, lest any man should boast. We certainly cannot be proud of our works, for they are totally the work of the Holy Spirit within us. For it is not I that do them but Christ that liveth in me, says the Apostle. We certainly cannot boast that we have earned eternal life, for on judgment day the Savior will not say, “Come, merit,” but, “come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you! ”

We know all these truths and yet the pride that is so deeply ingrained in our basic nature leads us to want to create our own religion or to expect our Lord to accommodate Himself to the way we want to live. It is not until our Lord humbles us with His word that we cry out, “Help!” “Renew a right spirit inside me; take not your Holy Spirit from me.” For all the ranting of the world telling us that we must find inner peace and happiness in ourselves, we find only doubt and insecurity. We need help. Nowhere is this more forcefully demonstrated than in the answer of the father who exclaimed to our Savior in tears: “Lord, I believe. Help Thou mine unbelief.”

Will the Lord hear our cry for help? Listen to the text: “He does not forget the cry of the humble.” He promises to hear our cry because His Son “humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death on the cross.” The humility of Jesus in dying for our sins covers our lack of humility and works in us the humble faith that cries to the Lord for help. Can you think of a better way to begin each Sunday service than with the wonderful assurance, “Our help is in the name of the Lord?”