What does the Bible say about being humbled before being exalted?
James 4:10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” What does this mean? And how can you actually do what this verse is saying?
Here are 4 possible ways the Lord wants you to humble yourself before him so he can then exalt you.
1. God Will Exalt You When You Humble Yourself Through Radical Obedience to Him
If you were to read the first nine verses before James 4:10, you would see that the context here is all about radical obedience to God. We are told to reject our worldly motives (James 4:1-3), to reject our worldly relationships (James 4:4-5), to reject our pride (James 4:6), to reject Satan’s influence (James 4:7), to reject our sins (James 4:8-9). This is how we are to humble ourselves that we might then be exalted by God (James 4:10).
Therefore, we must apply these general commands to our own lives in very specific ways. If you want God to exalt you in a relationship, you must radically obey him in relationships. If you want God to exalt you at work, you must radically obey him in your work. If you want God to exalt your ministry efforts, you must radically obey him in your ministry efforts.
And to be clear, obedience to God does not lead to exaltation because we are earning this through our good works. Everything good is by grace and freely given by God as a gift (Ephesians 2:8, James 1:17). Rather, obedience is the maturity needed to rightly handle the gifts God wants to give us. Without obedience, if God were to exalt us, it would destroy us.
Exaltation without humility leads to destruction. Only the humble man can avoid being corrupted by the power and influence the Lord gives him.
2. God Will Exalt You When You Humble Yourself Through Patience
Private victories always come before public victories (Luke 4:13-15). Service always comes before leadership (Mark 10:43-45). Being faithful with little always comes before being trusted with much (Matthew 25:21). All of this requires patience and submission to God’s timing. As 1 Peter 5:5-6 explains:
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you . . .”
Notice the emphasis on “the proper time” when it comes to God exalting you. Therefore, one way we can humble ourselves is through patience. You may want a spouse now, you may want that promotion now, you may want that clarity about the future now. But perhaps God is saying, “Wait.”
It takes humility to not take matters into your own hands. But remember, through humility, at the proper time, God will exalt you.
3. God Will Exalt You When You Commit to Serving Others Above Yourself
In Matthew 23:3-5, Jesus said of the religious elites, “For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others.” In Matthew 23:11-12, he then states, “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
His point is clear: those God exalts are those who are serving people for God and not for personal gain.
4. God Will Exalt You When You Commit to Always Using Your Influence to Bring More Glory to Him
What will you do once God exalts you? If you will just exalt yourself, God knows this. Thus, he is unlikely to let you be exalted at all. Rather, when God knows that you will exalt him with the ways that he exalts you, then God will exalt you (1 Corinthians 10:31). In Psalm 89:15-17, notice the link between our willingness to exalt God and his willingness to exalt us:
Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted. For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted.”
Nothing is about us. It’s all about him (1 Peter 4:11). If you live for yourself in small ways, you will live for yourself in big ways too (Luke 16:10). If you want to be trusted with much, you first need to glorify the Lord through what he’s given you now.
