In life, there are requirements for pretty much everything we do. If you are going to ride a roller coaster, you have to meet a minimum height requirement. At school, if you are going to graduate or move from one grade to another, there are certain requirements that you must meet. You have to take certain classes and earn certain grades. If you are applying for a job, you must meet requirements regarding your experience, education, and qualifications. If you are creating an account online, you cannot just choose any password you want. There are requirements your password must meet. Oftentimes, it must include an uppercase letter, a number, and a special character thrown in somewhere.
There are requirements in so many different areas of life. Thinking about that fact begs the question: What does the Lord require of us? Far more important than any other requirement in life is what God requires of us as His children. In Micah 6:8, the prophet answers that question when he says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
As I was reflecting on this powerful, well-known, and important verse, the last few words caught my attention. We are to walk humbly with our God. What does that mean? What does it mean to walk humbly with our God?
Walking humbly with our God means that we live in relationship with God. Notice that the text does not say, “walk humbly with the God.” The text says, “walk humbly with your God.” That implies relationship. He is my God. I am His child. That reality should define who we are and everything that we do. We invest in many different relationships every day. How intentional are we about investing in our relationship with God? The Christian life is all about drawing closer to God. It is about living every day in relationship with Him.
Walking humbly with our God means that we live in obedience to God. We are not just coming to God, as the Israelites suggested in Micah 6:6. Every day, we are walking with God. Think about what it is like to walk with someone. You go where they go. You travel at the same pace. You stay in step with one another. You talk and share life together. That is the picture of what we should be doing with God. I am not going to run ahead of God. I am not going to fall behind God. I am going to walk with God. I am going to go where He goes. I am going to move at His pace and stay by His side. This is a metaphor for obedience. I am going to do what He says and be who He wants me to be. Christianity is not just about attending a weekly worship service; it is about a daily walk with God.
Walking humbly with our God means that we live in submission to God. We are not just walking with our God. There is another word there. We are walking humbly with our God. It takes a great deal of humility to say, “God, I am not going to walk on my own; I am going to walk with You.” It takes humility to say, “I am not going to be who I want to be or do what I want to do; I am going to be who You want me to be and do what You want me to do.” It takes humility to recognize that God is infinitely greater than we are and knows far better than we do. Sometimes we can be tempted to think that we have all the answers. We think we know the speed we should walk and the direction we should go. Instead of persisting in that pride, let us humbly submit to God in everything we do. When we walk with God, we must follow His lead.
Are we doing what God requires? Are we walking with God? Are we walking with our God? Are we walking humbly with our God? What a blessing and privilege it is to walk humbly with the One who created us and saved us through Christ. When we walk with Him in this life, we will live with Him in the life to come.
Tyler Alverson
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