Jesus Said He is... Series, Part 7: Meek & Lowly in Heart
I am someone who finds it difficult to share my feelings with others because I do not want to be a burden to them. Everyone has their own share of problems, and I don't want to diminish what they are going through by speaking of my troubles. Also, there are plenty of those I have chosen to be vulnerable to, and with the exception of my precious husband, they have betrayed my confidence with gossip, lies, and/or criticisms. Therefore, I have learned to keep my life as private as possible. I think the majority of you can relate.
Although Jesus spent 33 years in human flesh on this earth, please never confuse Jesus with the flawed humans around us. When He asks us to cast all of our burdens on Him, He is sincere, will not use your circumstances to humiliate you, and when we are able to truly surrender our cares to Him, He will bring us a supernatural peace.
How much I love Matthew 11 when Jesus promises us that He will help us bear all our sorrows. Such a beautiful promise! What a strong and mighty God to help us bear all of our burdens!
(Matthew 11:28-29) "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
For more about Jesus as our burden-bearer, please see my blog, "Jesus Will Never Tell You That You Are Beyond His Help" here: https://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/2025/09/jesus-will-never-tell-you-that-you-are_15.html
Before you think Jesus was saying He was weak, let me give you the definition of the word meek: According to dictionary.com, being meek means to be "humbly patient or quiet in nature, as under provocation from others." That seems pretty profound to me. It goes beyond just saying or doing something nice or not being antagonistic, it is the epitome of both patiently enduring trials as well as turning the other cheek when we are treated poorly.
Jesus Christ was by far the most incredible example of meekness anyone could ever have exhibited. It is why so many scriptures refer to Him as a lamb. No, He was not weak, as being meek does not make one cowardly. Yes, He corrected the Pharisees of their legalistic ways and scolded His disciples when they were too stubborn to understand His words. However, He spoke the Truth in love. He wept and prayed for all those he walked among just as He still intercedes for mankind today. When led to His own horrendous crucifixion, He did not fight back but allowed His false accusers to torture Him so He could die for our sins. That is not only meekness personified but also sacrifice and love exemplified. Doesn’t that only make you want to be meek as Christ was (and still is) meek?
I pray I can follow the example of Jesus and be meek in heart. To learn to say as Jesus did, in Luke 22:42, "Not my will, but thine, be done." I want to also be like Jesus as I help bear the burdens of others through prayers and other means of support.
There are 29 scripture references that use the word meek and 14 for the word meekness (when searching the King James Version), but I will narrow it down to just four.
I love Psalm 25:9 that says, "The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way." That alone makes me want to pursue meekness. I yearn for God's teachings so I may better serve Him and others. I want His righteous and fair judgements to change me so I can be used for His glory. (Psalm 139: 23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.) I welcome God's guidance as I learn to not question God's perfect plans. I am also learning to be more gracious and less argumentative with others who disagree with or purposefully antagonize me. God is more likely to use one who has surrendered to His will and who is not overbearing or impatient with others.
Isaiah 29:19 pairs beautifully with another fruit of the spirit, joy, when it says, "The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord." It is so much easier to find joy in the Lord when we can relax and accept that God is in control. Yes, humanity often goes outside of God's will and not everything that happens is in God's plan, but we can still learn to believe that God can work even the bad things for our good when we are living for His glory (see Romans 8:28). It is also much easier to find joy when are not constantly arguing with others, and we can learn to be humbly patient as we walk away from those want to fight rather than stay and escalate the argument. As the Bible states, it best to turn the other cheek and then pray for those who refuse to listen to anyone else's opinions because they have a need to always be right. Remember that often the most antagonistic people are the ones hurting the most and need to learn to accept God's love, grace, and joy just as much as you do.
(Matthew 5:38-39 & 43-44) [Jesus said,] "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."
As you can see by now that meekness should not be equated with weakness. In fact, quite the opposite as it takes a strong person to resist the devil telling you to curse God (as Satan has told me to do, but instead I sang songs to bless the Lord). We need to remember, that it is not in our own strength that we can be brave, but only when we pursue the fruits of the Holy Spirit that enable us to stand strong in the Lord. Only then can we be humble and patient as we endure trials and tribulations without giving up on the love of Jesus.
It also takes a spiritually strong person to not give into the flesh and fight back. It is much more difficult to keep your mouth shut and walk away than it is to stay put and yell. Proverbs 20:3 says, "It is an honour for a man to cease from strife." Let's honor God by learning to respect one another as we meekly love instead of quarrel.
Just to be clear, when you are standing up for the morals of Jesus Christ it is not wrong to argue about what the Bible says is right or wrong. However, we should ask the Holy Spirit to help us know how and when to do so in a gentle and meek way so as not to turn others away from Christ. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to know when to follow the advice of Matthew 10:14, "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city [or from a relationship], shake off the dust of your feet." The quarreling I have been speaking of that displeases the Lord has more to do with issues where we need to learn to agree to disagree, and not to treat others with disrespect or disdain.
You will see in 2 Corinthians 10 below that Paul mentions the meekness of Jesus along with being bold for Christ. He is bold in reminding those reading his letters to be obedient to the laws of Jesus and to fight against the sins of the flesh. He was bold for the ways of God as well as being humbly patient while he endured prison, beatings, and other persecutions. He followed his own examples and showed love to his enemies as he risked his life to lead them to true repentance and salvation. I pray I always have that same meek boldness to stand up for my Lord!
(2 Corinthians 10:1-5) Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ... am bold toward you... wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
There are 29 scripture references that use the word meek and 14 for the word meekness (when searching the King James Version), but I will narrow it down to just four.
I love Psalm 25:9 that says, "The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way." That alone makes me want to pursue meekness. I yearn for God's teachings so I may better serve Him and others. I want His righteous and fair judgements to change me so I can be used for His glory. (Psalm 139: 23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.) I welcome God's guidance as I learn to not question God's perfect plans. I am also learning to be more gracious and less argumentative with others who disagree with or purposefully antagonize me. God is more likely to use one who has surrendered to His will and who is not overbearing or impatient with others.
Isaiah 29:19 pairs beautifully with another fruit of the spirit, joy, when it says, "The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord." It is so much easier to find joy in the Lord when we can relax and accept that God is in control. Yes, humanity often goes outside of God's will and not everything that happens is in God's plan, but we can still learn to believe that God can work even the bad things for our good when we are living for His glory (see Romans 8:28). It is also much easier to find joy when are not constantly arguing with others, and we can learn to be humbly patient as we walk away from those want to fight rather than stay and escalate the argument. As the Bible states, it best to turn the other cheek and then pray for those who refuse to listen to anyone else's opinions because they have a need to always be right. Remember that often the most antagonistic people are the ones hurting the most and need to learn to accept God's love, grace, and joy just as much as you do.
(Matthew 5:38-39 & 43-44) [Jesus said,] "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."
As you can see by now that meekness should not be equated with weakness. In fact, quite the opposite as it takes a strong person to resist the devil telling you to curse God (as Satan has told me to do, but instead I sang songs to bless the Lord). We need to remember, that it is not in our own strength that we can be brave, but only when we pursue the fruits of the Holy Spirit that enable us to stand strong in the Lord. Only then can we be humble and patient as we endure trials and tribulations without giving up on the love of Jesus.
It also takes a spiritually strong person to not give into the flesh and fight back. It is much more difficult to keep your mouth shut and walk away than it is to stay put and yell. Proverbs 20:3 says, "It is an honour for a man to cease from strife." Let's honor God by learning to respect one another as we meekly love instead of quarrel.
Just to be clear, when you are standing up for the morals of Jesus Christ it is not wrong to argue about what the Bible says is right or wrong. However, we should ask the Holy Spirit to help us know how and when to do so in a gentle and meek way so as not to turn others away from Christ. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to know when to follow the advice of Matthew 10:14, "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city [or from a relationship], shake off the dust of your feet." The quarreling I have been speaking of that displeases the Lord has more to do with issues where we need to learn to agree to disagree, and not to treat others with disrespect or disdain.
You will see in 2 Corinthians 10 below that Paul mentions the meekness of Jesus along with being bold for Christ. He is bold in reminding those reading his letters to be obedient to the laws of Jesus and to fight against the sins of the flesh. He was bold for the ways of God as well as being humbly patient while he endured prison, beatings, and other persecutions. He followed his own examples and showed love to his enemies as he risked his life to lead them to true repentance and salvation. I pray I always have that same meek boldness to stand up for my Lord!
(2 Corinthians 10:1-5) Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ... am bold toward you... wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
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