Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Philippians 2:3

After David was anointed to be king, he enrolled in the school of “hard knocks,” otherwise known as the school of humility. He learned to be subservient to his master, the king. King Saul became jealous of David:

When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistines, the women came out from all of the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. As they danced they sang; Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands (I Samuel 18:6-7). King Saul’s jealousy of David’s military success turned into an obsession and he tried to kill David. David was pursued by Saul and had to hide from him, but the Lord used this to grow humility in David. David had opportunities to kill Saul, but in obedience and humility, he would not touch God’s anointed. Persecution, even the jealousy of others, though painful, can be a perfecting tool in God’s hands. David found success wherever he went. He was successful in defeating the enemies of Israel, yet he never tried to elevate himself in the eyes of the people. We can learn so much from reading the Psalms. Many were written by David as he faced difficulties. God used the difficult times to help David develop humility.

As we read through the Psalms, we enter into the agony David felt as Saul relentlessly pursued him to take his life. Spend time this week meditating on the Psalms, apply them to your life, and recognize the truth in God’s Word:

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) How we need His grace to help us develop the humility we need to be courageous leaders!

Heavenly Father,

Your Word tells me that You oppose the proud but give grace to the humble. I pray that I will not resist those things in my life that humble me and cause me to surrender completely to You.

In Jesus’ name, Amen