James 4:10
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
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That is the command of God that we must obey, it is not a suggestion. It is a command of God that all will obey, either by choice now or later by ... well, suffice it to say, do it now. The Word is very clear, unambiguous as the apostle Paul wrote that at the name of Jesus EVERY knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. {Ph.2:10-11} God the Father highly exalted Him because in the flesh He had totally humbled Himself! Consider this:

Jesus, when gathered together with His disciples to have a meal, got up from the supper and began to wash their feet, usually the task of a servant or a slave, certainly not for the King of Kings, the King of Glory and the Lord of Lords! That shocked His disciples, so much so that at first Peter refused to allow it. Jesus finished that demonstration of total humility by saying, "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.” {Jn.13:4-5,14-15} Teaching you and I humility!

On a related note, democracy has been deified, glorified and sanctified by much of the world for hundreds and hundreds, even thousands of years now. So many Christians think that God invented it and established it as His way, His plan. Yet, our God chose to warn us against being captivated by philosophy; {Col.2:8} and yes, democracy is a philosophy. One invented by Greek philosophers like Plato so very many centuries ago. The very word means the 'people rule' from the Greek, 'demos' (the people) and 'kratia' (power, rule) so perhaps we would do well to remember that when there was no king in Israel every man did what was right in his own eyes. {Jdg.17:6} That is surely the very height of pride!

So I rejoice that I for one am not in charge, I have a king, and as I said above, He is the King of Kings—my citizenship is in heaven. {Php.3:20} I can rejoice that the Lord has not left me on my own to figure things out, therefore I don't have to lean on my own understanding. {Pr.3:5} And I am ever so grateful that unlike self-serving rulers of the world my King is a loving and gracious God. He has, unlike the world, focused on giving to us rather than taking from us. {Php.4:19}

Remember Ramah when God's people came to Samuel the prophet and demanded that he give them a king so they would be like the other nations, desiring to be just like the world. They wanted to be in charge. God told Samuel to do as they asked because they had rejected Him! {1Sam.8:5-7} He also told them what the result would be, how their chosen ruler would treat them! {1Sam.8:11-18} It would serve you well to take a look at those verses and see if it reminds you of anything today.

However, there was one king, a man named David, who was appointed by the Lord to lead (not rule) His people. He had the experience of tending his father's flock and to do so with the heart of God. His 'boast' was I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. {Ps.22:6} His prayers revealed his humble attitude. He rejoiced that the Lord was in charge!

We too should rejoice as we read those well known words of David when he said:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:1-4)

A LAMP TO MY FEET AND A LIGHT TO MY PATH