God “chariots” humility

I love to think of the Scriptures as stories strung on a common thread: whispers from God to everyday people. The list of stories is long. Noah stands out to me, for far from any lake or river he heard the message to build an ark. Hagar, abandoned with her son in a waterless land, was told to not be afraid—“for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is” (Genesis 21:17)—and soon found a well of water.

But a story that recently moved me was of Elisabeth in the New Testament. In spite of tradition and objection from others, she knew that God had whispered to her the name John for the son she carried—not Zacharias, the name of his father. Elisabeth’s calm stand as a woman of her time particularly affected me; she didn’t need to argue when questioned, because she loved and trusted God. And it turns out Zacharias had gotten the same message: “His name is John” (Luke 1:63).

The variety of individuals and their stories in the Bible inspired me to listen for my own. So, when one night as I lay awake struggling with a negative attitude about church, and the words “God chariots humility” came, I grabbed hold. I loved thinking of chariot as a verb instead of a noun. And I saw that humility would lift me onto the chariot of God’s love to be propelled forward in thought. It made me think of the Apostle Paul, who had to learn humility as he faced uncertainty about his mission after hearing the voice of Christ Jesus on the road to Damascus.