Meekness and Life Go Hand In Hand

“My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.” (Ps 22:25-26 AV)

 Meekness is an underrated trait.  Of meekness, Webster’s 1828 dictionary states, “Softness of temper; mildness; gentleness; forbearance under injuries and provocations; In an evangelical sense, humility; resignation; submission to the divine will, without murmuring or peevishness; opposed to pride, arrogance and refractoriness.”  Meekness above is the response we have toward all that God does, allows, or provides.  The meek will accept whatever their lives are without complaint, with humility, and with great patience and gratitude.  The meek will not fuss nor complain.  They realize God is God and God is good.  They do not second guess or question God’s will.  The meek will praise God for everything; good or bad.  They will realize God owes them nothing.  The meek we understand God’s sovereign hand in all things is for His glory.  They will understand and accept God’s infinite love no matter the circumstances of life.  The phrase “your heart shall live forever” is what stuck out to me this morning.  The theologian in me saw an issue with that because my heart is desperately wicked.  Why would I want a wicked heart to live forever?  But that is not what David is saying.  He is saying that if we are meek regarding our relationship with God, our hearts will live in peace, assurance, affirmation, hope, etc forever.  Meekness is the key.

Simple gratitude and meekness is a beautiful thing. It is also a very rare thing.  When I think of someone with a meek heart, I think of my buddy Bunk.  Yes, that is his name.  Or, that is his name that everyone uses.  His surname is Allen.  But everyone calls him Bunk.  He got this nickname from his uncle who died in WWII.  Bunk and I hunted a lot together.  We had many adventures.  We spent many hours in the woods, sometimes ending in a difficult situation.  Bunk is the epitome of meekness.  To call him a weakling or un-masculine would be a serious mistake.  Meekness does not mean weakness.  Bunk cares about everyone he meets.  It didn’t matter what their personality was, what their faults may have been, or how needy they turned out to be.  He cared about everyone.  He did his best to do whatever he could for them.  He never spoke an ill word of anyone.  Not one soul received criticism from his lips.  Even if well deserved, he kept his thoughts to himself.  Bunk drove the old beat-up white Chevy SUV.  That truck was more rust than car.  It was stuffed full with all his hunting equipment and much more.  There was barely room for a passenger.  It hadn’t been cleaned out or organized in years.  What drew me to Bunk was his meekness.  It showed in his attitude towards life.  He was always upbeat.  Even in our mishaps, he was never down.  Bunk was not a “bounce off the wall” upbeat type of person.  He is consistently positive.  He laughs on key.  He smiles every time you meet him.  He loves life in a calm and peaceful sort of way.  You could tell his attitude toward life by the way he walked.  His pace is consistently persistent.  He doesn’t rush, but he doesn’t dilly-dally either.  He heads through life as though every day is worth living.  What a meek friend He is to me.

Meekness will determine our quality of life.  Not the circumstances of life.  We all have trouble.  We all have trails of faith.  Some small, some large.  We will all face the troubles or trials of life as our lives draw to a close.  There is no avoiding it.  Meekness will determine how well we navigate those troubled waters.  God is good, all the time.  When we begin to doubt or question God, we become like Job.  Bitter and confused.  If, on the other hand, we accept God’s hand and are grateful for it no matter what it might be, our hearts will love forever.