ICS Daily Devotions
Pride Keeps You in the Valley

Psalm 121:1-2 (NKJV) I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

There are many reasons that could hold us back from asking God for help when we are in the valleys of our lives. Apart from self-pity and resentment against God, many people are too proud to acknowledge their weakness and accept the fact that they have come to the end of themselves.

Many people pride themselves on being “self-made” men and women because of the achievements in their lives. They may have had success in making a name for themselves in a specific field, which is but one of the many aspects in a broad spectrum of expertise. We are all dependent one another’s expertise because nobody knows it all. None of us can heal ourselves, extend our lives, prevent ourselves from sickness and calamities, or save ourselves from God’s judgement. We might be “self-made” in one aspect of our lives, but we can be a failure in other areas.

We are not self-existent, and everything that we possess and have achieved is purely the grace of God. It is in Him that we move and have our being, and we will all die when we stop breathing. We are not omnipotent, omnipresent, or omniscient, but finite beings. However, God is self-existent and will still be present when everything on earth has passed away, including all the well-known figures in society, none of whom could escape death. People who continue to deny that there is no God can only do so until they enter into eternity. Similarly, people can deny that God doesn’t exist until they come to the end of themselves or their abilities, and it is only a matter of time! Therefore, only fools will say in their hearts that God does not exist or there is no God! It is important to come back to the great I AM when we come to end of ourselves.

James 4:6 (NKJV) But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Pride hinders us from coming before God to seek His help in our time of need. It is a choice to look up and look to God who wants to help us. We want to ascend from the valley to the mountain top with God, and as we humble ourselves by choosing to look up to Him and begin walking towards Him, we are reminded of the awesomeness of God as we worship Him, and the difficulties that we are experiencing will start to grow dim and small in His presence.

Sermon Series: We Have an Unwavering Help and Support from the Lord