Poor in Spirit

The past few months, the concept of spiritual poverty has continued to appear.  This concept has been brought to my attention in a few different podcasts I’ve listened to, several posts I’ve seen on social media, and in a book I’ve read recently.  This recurring theme has allowed me to reflect on how to live with a spirit of poverty.

We hear in the Beatitudes “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  To put it simply, being poor in spirit means to be aware of our deep need for God in our lives.  It means that we understand that God has loved us into existence and it is His love alone that sustains us. 

Being poor in spirit means to know and understand that God is providing for us and caring for us in each and every single moment of every day.  If we ever think we can do something without Him, we are wrong.  We must open our hands and let go of the things we are tightly holding onto; control, self-reliance, pride, and all else that is taking up unnecessary space.  If our hands are full, we cannot receive the gifts that God wants to give us.  Being poor in spirit and having empty hands will allow us to cling to God rather than the things of the world.

In a world that promotes self-sufficiency and success, it can be very hard to live with a spirit of poverty.  To recognize and accept that we cannot do anything on our own is difficult at times.  To release control over everything in our lives and hand it completely over to God takes a lot of trust.  But if we really love God, we will trust Him.
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In order to be poor in spirit, we must acknowledge our weaknesses, sinfulness, and brokenness and trust that God will transform these parts of us in the way that only He can.  My prayer for today is that we would all become more poor in spirit, trusting more deeply in God’s providence and becoming more aware of our absolute need for Him in all aspects of our lives.