MEEK BUT NOT A COWARD
Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5
To be meek is to be gentle, forgiving, and not easily angered. But perhaps you’ve heard the expression, ‘meekness is weakness’. That’s because what can look like meekness is often downright timidity.
Meekness is often attributed to a personality type. Those who are naturally meek in nature haven’t attained it by God’s definition. The bent toward being peace-loving is in their DNA but they are imbalanced. I speak from experience. I am a gentle person by nature but my heart is wicked. Others have often admired me for what they see on the outside but would be taken back by what I’m thinking on the inside. That is why Jesus made sure to tell His disciples that it’s not appearance that matters but what is in the heart. The Pharisees looked righteous but were full of pride. I can look meek but underneath, it still can be all about fear and pride.
Jesus is the perfection of meekness. None of us would say that Jesus was weak. He knew when to be gentle but also knew when to be angry. He was both extremes under God’s umbrella of righteousness. Gentleness was not used as a cover to gain admiration or as a way to avoid confrontation.
He was not above using His power to speak to a raging sea, call out the demonic, turn temple tables over, or rebuke a seething mob who were set on His destruction. And yet, when He could have answered the taunts of the crowd to call upon heaven to deliver Himself from the cross, He chose restraint and forgiveness. Meekness was really strength in disguise!
When Jesus was angry, He was never out of control. He knew what He was doing. When Jesus was meek, He was also never out of control. He knew what He was doing. Once I understand the great power of God that undergirds true meekness, I will seek it earnestly. Someone once said, "If all God's attributes were offered at auction, the last one to be sold would be meekness." That’s only because I don’t know Jesus well enough yet.
Expose my fears for using meekness to hide and give me grace to live in the power of holy restraint when it doesn’t benefit me, but benefits You and Your kingdom. Amen
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Wednesday, 17 January 2024.
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