Back before Coronavirus, when we could mix with crowds of people, many of us visited the carnival when it came to town. One feature that always fascinated me was the house of mirrors. My brain would try to process what I was seeing … but always failed because nothing made sense. Even finding the exit was challenging. I was always relieved to stumble back out into the real world.

In urban environments – where most of us reside – I sometimes feel like I’m living in a modified house of mirrors. Most days we’re exposed only to other people. We see and hear about their accomplishments, their twisted desires, their difficulties, and their aspirations for greatness. We’re exposed to conflicting messages and feel pulled in a dozen directions. We watch it all with a mixture of fascination and horror, all the while looking for an exit door that’ll return us to the “real” world.  

One of the reasons I pray so earnestly for revival is because I know God’s manifest presence will restore sanity and reveal truth. When people are able to see themselves in the light of who He is, clarity will dawn. The distorted view of our importance will vanish as truth emerges in all its brilliance. In a strictly human world, pride rises to meteoric heights. We can puff ourselves up to nearly god-status. In 1 Corinthians 10:12 Paul reveals why we like to compare ourselves to other people. We come out looking pretty good when we measure ourselves against those we consider worse than us. But what happens when we compare ourselves to Someone infinitely greater?

It’s still vivid in my memory – the day I was knocked off my pedestal of self-importance. Tony and I had been arguing about some issue (I can’t recall what it was now) and I felt sure I was right and he was oh-so-wrong. Then, right in the middle of it, when my anger and self-righteousness were most evident, Tony suddenly threw in a Bible verse. Coming out of the blue, it cut me to the core, shattering my hall of mirrors. The Spirit’s word to me that day came from this passage in Luke 3.

“The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John [the Baptist] might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, ‘I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (vv. 15-17).

Tony only quoted one verse out of the passage, the one where John the Baptist declared himself unworthy to even untie the straps of Jesus’ sandals. I remember standing there in silence as the truth dawned on me. Who did I think I was? If John the Baptizer felt unworthy in Jesus’ presence … if he in all his Kingdom greatness couldn’t even stoop to untie Jesus’ shoes … why was I feeling so smug? So self-important? Seeing my pride in all its ugliness humbled me in a way I’ve never forgotten.

When the Holy Spirit helps us see ourselves as we really are, we have to face the truth. We realize we don’t have all the answers, we have no power to effect real change, and we are in desperate need of God’s love and grace. We “Stand in awe of God” (Ecclesiastes 5:7).

Being humbled is the best thing that could ever happen to us, but we shrink back from it because we think it will disqualify us from serving the Lord or making a difference in His kingdom. But the truth is quite the opposite: Only the humble are qualified to be God’s representatives. King David was a man of action and accomplishment, respected by friends and enemies alike, but he knew the source of his strength. In Psalm 18 we read:

The Lord is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my foes, who were too strong for me. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning. With my God I can scale a wall. (Psalm 18:2, 16-17, 27-29)

In our crazy and distorted world, we can learn a lot from David. He trusted God’s Spirit to give him strength and direction. He didn’t run from challenges, but faced them with the recognition of who he was in comparison to God. The apostle Peter wrote, “clothe yourselves with humility … because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).  

According to the dictionary, humility is “freedom from pride or arrogance.” But I like how Bernard of Clairvaux describes it even better. “Humility is the virtue by which a man becomes conscious of his own unworthiness, in consequence of the truest knowledge of himself.”

In revival we’re able to see the world as it really is because God’s Spirit illuminates the darkness. But we need not wait for the manifestations of revival to receive clarity. Our own personal revival is available to us today. Mary’s song in Luke 1 can become our prayer. She rejoiced in her God, not in herself. “He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts … but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (vv. 51-53).

Having eyes to see that only the Lord is worthy of our worship and highest devotion helps us escape the world’s house of mirrors. Letting His Spirit reveal our hearts to us will leave no doubt … we are not worthy to even untie the straps of His sandals. Anything we do in service to Christ cannot come close to His surpassing glory.

I’ll close this with lyrics from Andrew Peterson’s beautiful song, “Is He Worthy?” Whenever we need a reality check, it provides the spiritual clarity necessary to humble us.

“Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst? (It is)

“Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? (It is)

“Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole? Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?

“Is He worthy? Of all blessing and honor and glory?” … oh yes, praise God, “(HE IS)!”