Grow in the Soil of Humility
It was toward the end of my college years when our church went through a pretty rough season. One pastor had left, and then just a few years later the next one left. Attendance had dwindled to a trickle that could have flowed quite comfortably into the old chapel. This was a sad time for the church, but interestingly enough it was also a time of spiritual renewal for me. I was active in a couple of ministries on our college campus and felt like God was working in my life in some powerful ways. About that time, in God’s perfect timing, He brought a couple of interim pastors to Valley View. The first was Joe Allen, who brought a careful dedication to the teaching of Scripture. This added fuel to the church’s pre-existing hunger to know God’s Word. Next Hershael York stepped into the role. In addition to a commitment to careful Bible teaching he brought joy, energy, excitement, and hope. The only downside of his arrival was that I had already planned to spend the summer working at a kids’ camp in Ohio. I knew I was supposed to go to the camp, but I was also sad to miss out on what it seemed God was doing at Valley View. There was a rapidly building excitement here and I didn’t want to miss a single week!
One of the things that stood out to me about that season for our church was an increased sense of humility and dependence on Christ. Ian Hamilton said, “Usefulness to God grows in the soil of self-effacing humility.” Andrew emphasized the importance of humility Sunday, referencing 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Andrew pointed out that the call in this passage is for ‘my people’ to be the ones to humble themselves first. For us that means the church, and that’s what I observed back in my college days at Valley View. The church began to take a turn toward health again in the climate of humility and dependence on God.
When I returned after the summer, it was clear that the excitement had grown and God was working in the church. I’ve always remembered that time as a sweet time for our church but also as a powerful time of growth in my life. This Sunday you’ll get a chance to hear from Hershael in our morning service. He now serves as the Dean of Theology at Southern Seminary, prior to that he was a professor of preaching there. I think you’ll really enjoy hearing from him especially given his background with Valley View.
Photo by Greta Hoffman