Learning Meekness

Letting go of what weighs us down often makes space for what lifts us up—like grace in motion.

Devotional Credit: Immeasurably More
Photo Credit: Unsplash

Today’s reflection by Ray Stedman brings us into the quiet turning point of Paul’s early ministry—a moment not marked by triumph but by a humiliating retreat. The once-proud Pharisee, now a servant of Christ, found himself lowered in a basket over the city wall to escape those who wanted him dead. At first glance, it looks like a scene of shame. Yet many years later, Paul would recall this moment as one of the most meaningful in his spiritual journey. Why?

Because it was the beginning of the end of self-sufficiency.

Paul had come equipped with credentials, zeal, and intellect, ready to serve God with all he thought he could bring to the table. But God didn’t need Paul’s assets—He needed Paul’s heart. The escape in the basket marked Paul’s first lesson in meekness, where the Spirit began peeling away ambition and self-confidence to form a vessel dependent only on Christ.

The lesson? Meekness is not weakness—it’s the gateway to usefulness in the hands of God. As Jesus said, “I am meek and lowly in heart,” and that is the very heart posture He forms in those who would bear His life. Without Him, we can do nothing of eternal value. Everything born of pride must be surrendered. Paul’s letting down over the wall was not a fall from grace, but a descent into grace. It was the moment Paul began to learn that being available to Christ mattered infinitely more than being capable for Him.

✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

I chose you knowing full well your past, your passions, and your pride. Yet I do not call you because of these things—I call you despite them. My purpose is not to amplify your strengths, but to empty you of them, so that My strength may be revealed through your yielded life.

When they lowered Paul over the wall, he began to discover the yoke I had long invited him to bear. I gave him a heart eager to serve, but I could not send him until he had learned to abide. He had much to unlearn—his training, his status, his plans for how ministry should look. All these were weights, not wings. But in the silence of humiliation, I was giving him flight.

So it is with you. Your usefulness to Me is not found in your qualifications, your eloquence, or your plans. It is found in your quiet surrender—your yes to Me, without clinging to an outcome. I do not need you to be impressive. I need you to be available. Apart from Me, even your finest efforts are nothing. But through Me, what the world calls small becomes eternal.

Let go of what you think you need to offer. I delight in those who come empty and stay abiding. My yoke is easy because I carry the weight. My burden is light because it is Mine, not yours. You are not here to be a big name, a hero, or a savior—you are Mine, and I am enough.

Scriptures referenced: Acts 9:23–25; 2 Corinthians 11:32–33; Philippians 3:7–8; Matthew 11:29; John 15:5

🧺 Real-Life Analogy

It’s like trying to carry a full laundry basket up the stairs, only to realize that the more you carry, the harder it is to move. You start off thinking you need to take everything at once, but the moment you lay it all down, you can move freely. That’s the paradox of surrender: when you finally release the weight, you rise.

🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence

Father, I thank You that You do not require my résumé. You have already chosen me, not for what I bring, but because You delight to live through those who rely entirely on You. I rejoice that I don’t have to be strong, strategic, or celebrated—I simply get to be Yours. Thank You that, in Christ, I am already made ready. I rest in the easy yoke of Jesus today, confident that You will accomplish what matters through my willing heart.