Servant

“Your gentleness has made me great” (Ps. 18:35, NKJV).

This verse is unexpected. I would have thought that David would instead say to God, “The prowess for battle that You granted me has made me great.” Or, “Your unmatched military training, coaching me on killing that lion and bear, has made me great.” Maybe even, “Your mighty right hand has made me great.”

Instead, this. “Your gentleness has made me great.” God’s gentleness? How did that make David great?

Then it dawns on me. It’s God’s gentleness that makes any of us great. It’s His gentleness with us as we go through His life-long growth track. It’s His unending patience with us as we make mistakes and learn from them. It’s His kindness in holding out His hand to us, helping us get up again when we have fallen. It’s His mercy poured out on us lavishly, again and again and again.

In a passage where we read about rest for our souls, Jesus invites us, “Learn of Me… I am gentle” (Matt. 11:29, AMPC). As we come to know His gentleness personally, our souls find rest. In that spacious place of rest, we can grow into greatness. We can thrive because He is gentle.

What is greatness anyway? Jesus defined it for us: being like a child, and being like a servant (Matt. 18:4, Mark 9:35). As we thrive in the learning environment of His gentleness, our souls learn childlike trust. After we have Continue reading God’s Gentleness, Your Learning Environment