July 5: High Heels of Humility

Key Text: James 4:10 —

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Hilreth Morgan
Kings SDA Church

We live in a world that praises hustle and honors the overbooked. My schedule is so tight that I need a calendar just to manage it. Every second counts.

But humility doesn’t wear running shoes. Sometimes, it wears high heels; elegant, poised, slow enough to notice the detours God has set in place.

Staying grounded in humility often means letting go of our obsession with control, and that could even be our time. It means throwing the planner out the window when God calls us into an unplanned parking lot, into an unanticipated conversation, or into the longest bank line of the day.

I once found myself sitting in a parking lot for over an hour. This was off schedule, off plan, and off track (at least in my eyes). This trip should have taken ten minutes at most. But that hour of waiting  led me to a divine appointment with someone who had been asking God a question for years. The answer had been given to me all along, but for a long time, he never gave me the chance to share it.

Then came that unexpected delay in the bank line that gave just the right amount of time. God turned that inconvenience into a ministry moment. When you submit your day to God, He doesn’t waste time; He simply redeems it.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10)

This verse is more than a call to be modest. It is an invitation to surrender. God doesn’t just notice our humility; He responds to it.

Consider Jonah, the prophet who ran from God's assignment. He thought he could chart his own course. That was until he found himself in the belly of a fish. It was in that dark, smelly place of total helplessness that Jonah finally humbled himself and prayed. And what did God do? He lifted him out literally and gave him a second chance (Jonah 2:1-10).

Then there’s King Nebuchadnezzar, who strutted across his palace rooftop declaring, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built… by my mighty power?” (Daniel 4:30). God humbled him instantly, stripping away his kingdom and sending him into the wilderness like a wild animal. Only after he lifted his eyes to heaven and acknowledged God’s sovereignty, he was restored (Daniel 4:34-36).

We see the same pattern in 1 Peter 5:6:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

God’s timing may interrupt our own, but it’s never off. When we surrender control, He lifts us up at the right time.

Staying grounded in God’s presence means walking in step with Him. As Micah 6:8 reminds us:

“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Do not run ahead, drag behind, just walk. And walk humbly.

This humility draws God close. Isaiah 57:15 says,

“I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit.”

God dwells with the humble. That means He meets us in bank lines, in parking lots, in slow and quiet obedience.

Jesus Himself said in Matthew 23:12,

“Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

God sees humility. And in His hands, it’s not weakness, it’s the posture that positions us for purpose.

 Prayer

Lord, help me to wear the high heels of humility. Steady, grounded, and open to Your lead. Interrupt my plans if You must. Slow my pace if needed. Help me give up control of my schedule, my comfort, and my preferences. I trust that when I humble myself before You, You will lift me in Your way and time.

Amen.