…that he may lift you up in due time. (1Pe 5:6 NIV)

Humiliation is the road to elevation and exaltation. This is an invitation for us to reconsider the ways of this world and to believe in God’s revelation, which demonstrates that our lives are really nothing else than a learning process to bow down under God’s mighty hand so that he would uplift us up in his good time. Being picked up – is the opposite to humiliation. As the humiliation is nothing else than faithful acceptance of the holy cross that we carry for Christ’s sake, so the elevation is the liberation from this suffering and the introduction of joyful peace and utter solace awaiting God’s children at his good time and bidding. Until this divinely stipulated time breaks there is no peace – no matter how hard we try to bring it about. Rather until that time the word’s of our Lord ring true: “In this world you will have trouble.” (Joh 16:33 NIV) However just as true is his promise that there will come another time at the end of our days, when there will no longer be any sorrow, tears or crying. God will have wiped away all our tears and overcome all our sorrow with never-ending joy and eternal bliss and happiness. This is the time of salvation we are longing for. That’s what the Church is hoping for. Until then we carry our cross and keep the deep longing for perfect peace and ongoing solace under control patiently enduring all without giving up the faith and Christian hope. It reads, we should humiliate ourselves, so that God would lift us up. This humiliation doesn’t earn the exaltation and upliftment. Rather it’s God’s gracious present and free gift.

Lord, our God. We delve into your great Word and motivated by it long for the light of your new world, which you will create in your righteousness and truth. We are grateful that you have given us this hope in this our time and world, amidst all hardship and trouble we go through. We look to your holy Word: You make everything new and that is why our present lives are judged, that is why you have called us to the new life and that is why we want to remain faithful to you always. Keep us in your holy Word and let many people be enlightend by your good and saving Gospel, that they too will look up to you in true faith and trust until we see you face to face at the end of time and this age – seeing your grace and glory over all and in all. Amen. (Christian Blumhardt)

God’s children sow in sadness with lots of tears, yet the year finally brings forth what they were hoping for. Harvest time is coming close and at last they will bind their many sheaves – their sorrow and grief will be utter joy and laughter henceforth. (Paul Gerhard, 1607-1676)

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Monday after the third Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 237 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.