The Strength of the Humble

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” - Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

Recently, during a time of personal worship, I sensed something I’d never experienced before: the weight of my own flesh. The feeling was not in condemnation, but instead it was deeply humbling. 

I began to identify the areas of my life where, no matter how hard I try I fall short and incapable in my own strength to reach the spiritual freedom my soul longs for. 

Through tears, I opened my heart to the Lord, and the Holy Spirit gently reminded me that He desires for me to live bowed down in His presence, resting under the tender weight of His goodness.

In that moment, God was dismantling a powerful lie that often reigns in our flesh: the desire to soar free and weightless in spiritual realms. But we were not created to live in the air. We were created to live bowed before Him, clothed in the weight of His glory and carrying the abundant, powerful fruit of His love. In fact, we were formed from the richest, heaviest, and most fruitful material God ever spoke into existence: humus. Earth. 

Latin for “soil,” humus is where the word humility originated. Gold, silver, copper, diamonds, every hidden treasure begins in the earth. More than that, everything that sustains life—trees, food, water—comes from the earth. So, when God formed us, He didn’t use stars or vapor. He chose humus. He called the first man Ish and the first woman Isha, both meaning “earth.” You and I were not made to float like air; we were made to carry life like soil. 

Our Savior invites us to learn from His example. He is “gentle and humble in heart.” He, too, became humus; God made flesh, our second Earth, our true Promised Land. And in Him, we find not only our origin but our destiny. He satisfies us with milk and honey and invites us to carry His glory. 

In Hebrew, the word for glory is kabod, meaning “weight.” Isn’t that beautiful? God’s glory isn’t something light and fleeting, it’s something weighty and grounded. True revival won’t flow through people who want to soar like helium balloons. It will flow through those who are willing to live low, to carry weight, and to give life—just like the soil. 

I then heard the Father softly whisper in my ear, “Only those who live in their identity as earth will have the honor of carrying upon their shoulders the greatest, most glorious revival of all time: the glorious river of the Spirit, soon to flood the earth, bringing life and abundance to thousands.”

Flowing water does not dwell in the air; it runs through the earth. It seeks what is low, surrendered, and steady. That is why the Spirit finds rest not in the lofty, but in the bowed down. As Isaiah reminds us, “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit” (Isaiah 57:15, NIV). 

Only those who remember they were formed from dust, will carry the coming glory. Not because of any greatness of their own, but because they were created to bear burdens with peace, to sustain life with joy, and to give generously from the everlasting waters of the Holy Spirit in us. 

This is the strength of the meek. The quiet wealth of the lowly. The divine mystery of humility. 

So, friend, bow low before Jesus. Sink into His presence like soil receiving rain. Let Him be the weight that anchors your life, and the river that flows through your soul.

Fernanda Snaidero Ramirez is an Ordained Minister of the Church of God, Mental Health Counselor, and international speaker. She currently serves as the World Missions Women’s Ministries Assistant Coordinator. Fernanda has ministered across Latin America, served as a missionary for over 20 years, and holds a Master’s in Mental Health from Lee University. She is passionate about God’s Word and helping women walk in the fullness of life in Christ. Fernanda is married to Dr. David E. Ramirez and together they live in Ooltewah, TN, and are the proud parents of three wonderful children and grandparents of Elias David.