Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV): By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.
The word 'humility' here in Hebrew is 'anavah', from the word 'anav', meaning 'lowly, meek, a mindset of needing (Him)'. The word 'fear' here in Hebrew is 'yirah', which means 'reverence, deep respect'. Interestingly, the word 'honor' in this verse is translated 'kabowd' in Hebrew, which means 'glory, weight, splendor'. In other words, 'humility and the fear of the Lord leads to God's glory manifesting in your life'!
How about the word 'life' in this verse? In Hebrew, it is pronounced 'khah-ee' and has a very wide span of meaning. It can mean 'fresh, strong, lively, up and running, merry, restore, revive, be made whole, or recover'.
To humble before God is to surrender to Him. How do you surrender to Him? You surrender to Him in worship. To worship Him is to surrender (your spirit, soul, and body, i.e. your whole self) to Him and to His will. The Bible says, 'His kingdom come, His will be done' (Matthew 6:9-10).
Note: Know also that His will for your life is always the best. Proverbs 13:22 says, 'a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children'. Just as a loving, responsible dad would get his lawyer to help him write a will for his children, making sure that they'll have what they should have after he leaves this earth, your Father in Heaven also wants His will be done in your life! Matthew 6:9-10 can therefore be translated this way: 'His kingdom come, His inheritance be done'. Amen! What are some of His 'inheritance' for you? These include divine health, wisdom, revelation, love, joy, peace, blessings, prosperity, and every other good thing on earth! In fact, God also wants Heaven to be your inheritance as well! Such is His immeasurable 'wealth' for you. Praise God! He is altogether good!
So, you want 'His kingdom come, His inheritance be done'? Humble under His mighty hand! John (the Baptist)'s humility those days opened the way for the King to come (see John 1:23-27). Humility also leads to more good things coming your way, and in greater ways. Proverbs 11:2 says, 'When pride comes, then comes shame. But with the humble is wisdom'. Jesus Himself chose to humble (at the cross), and that's how He was also exalted high above all names (Philippians 2:5-11).
What does it mean to be humble before God? To say that you are humble before God is to say that you need Him and depend on Him more than ever before. God indeed 'gives grace to the humble and resists the proud' (1 Peter 5:5-7). Notice Peter didn't stop there in this sentence, but he continued by saying, 'casting all your care to Him, because He cares for you'. To take things into your own hands (instead of casting all your care to Him) is like saying, "I can, and I can do it better than God!", instead of saying, "Lord, I need you and depend on you to lead me on from here."
Finally, give yourself all over to Him again (Romans 12:1-2). Choose to re-align to His will and His way today. He sees farther than anyone can ever see (& knows better than anyone can ever know) on this earth. By humility and the fear of the Lord are His kingdom come and His glory being manifested in (and through) your life. There's no other way around it. Just look at John the Baptist, Peter, and even Jesus Himself! And instead of being conformed with the ways (and values) of this world, allow yourself right now to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may walk in all that is good, acceptable, and perfect will of God (for your life). Amen!
