Pride

Maria I. MorganBlog Archive, Understanding God's Plan

Pride is a dangerous thing


Pride is a dangerous thing. Sometimes I don’t realize its hold on me until it’s too late. I remember being asked to speak for a women’s group a couple years ago. Lots of preparation and prayer went into it. I really wanted the Lord to use me to encourage these ladies.

A combination of excitement and nervous energy filled me as I walked onto the platform. I held onto God’s promise; His Word would not return empty, but would accomplish its purpose (Isaiah 55:11). 

A sneaky enemy


I’m not sure when it happened. Sometime between talking with the ladies after speaking and getting home that evening, my mindset had shifted from praising God for helping me, to patting myself on the back for doing a pretty good job. Instead of remaining humble and focusing on the Lord, I let pride sneak in and point the spotlight on me.

God hates pride.

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It isn’t pretty. Time to re-evaluate. The example of Abigail’s humility in the book of 1 Samuel was exactly what I needed.

A tough situation


Remember Abigail? She was the wife of Nabal – he wasn’t the nicest guy. In fact, he’s described as mean-spirited and evil. Abigail probably didn’t have the best marriage, but in spite of difficult circumstances, she chose humility over pride.

Enter King David. He and his men had protected Nabal’s shepherds and sheep while they were in the wilderness. Now they were in need of some food and provisions, so David sent some of his men to request these things from Nabal.

A prideful answer


Take a look at Nabal’s response:

Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse?. . . Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?1 Samuel 25:10a, 11

Nabal lived up to the meaning of his name – folly. When David heard that Nabal refused to help, he was beyond angry and immediately set off with 400 men to kill Nabal and his entire household.

Abigail to the rescue


When Abigail found out that David and his men were on their way to destroy her husband and all he owned, she acted quickly. She put together an amazing peace offering of food and drink, and set out to deliver it herself. 

As soon as she saw David, Abigail dismounted and fell on her face before him. She showed David great respect, not only with her actions, but also with her words:

Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.1 Samuel 25:24

Did you catch that? Although she hadn’t done anything, Abigail was quick to take responsibility for her husband’s actions. She even asked for forgiveness. Now that’s powerful.

Good counsel


To top it off, she offered wise advice:

And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel; That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.1 Samuel 25:30-31

Throughout these emotion-charged events, Abigail remained wise. She chose to humble herself (even when she wasn’t at fault) instead of giving in to pride. The Bible describes Abigail as “a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance.” (1 Samuel 25:3) Her humility and devotion to the Lord made her a true beauty. 

Your turn


When has pride made an appearance in your life? What step will you take to choose humility over pride?

Can I pray for you?

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me to be on the lookout for pride in my life. You hate pride. Help me choose to be humble when I’m tempted to magnify self. You created me and gave me the gifts and abilities I have. You deserve all of my praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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