Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:10 NKJV

Most commonly speaking, an elevator is a cage or platform for conveying people or things from one level to another (Merriam-Webster).  During my years as a corporate executive, I often needed to take an elevator to reach a floor of my office, in a high rise building The Scripture shows that God is our “spiritual Elevator.” He elevates us from one degree of glory to another when we humble ourselves under His mighty hand, and then He exalts us in due time above our circumstances and situations. Elevation happens when we cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7). But without a heart of gratitude, we would never cast all our cares upon Him and be elevated.

We are admonished by Apostle Paul that “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18). Thanksgiving follows a grateful heart, and a truly grateful heart requires humility. It’s an attitude of gratitude that determines one’s spiritual altitude. Gratitude is a force, i.e., the energy that diverts the “bad air” of your circumstances down, and fuels the promised elevation—the lifting up in due time. God is the Elevator!

There is a difference between gratitude and thanksgiving. Gratitude precedes thanksgiving; it is a feeling of appreciation in your heart. Thanksgiving is the expression or manifestation of gratitude. The life of Moses is a good example of the relationship between humility, gratitude, thanksgiving (See. Num. 12:3; Ps. 90:12). A grateful heart is a humble heart; and gratitude and thanksgiving are choices we make daily. As an act of your will, you can choose to be grateful for what is, rather than being ungrateful for what is not. Don’t allow adverse circumstances, problems, and disappointments render the “elevator in the building of your life” to be out of order. Find something to be grateful for and offer thanks unto the Lord.

What happens when a building’s elevator is out and you desire to go to another level?  You toil, strive, tire and get exhausted, and get weary climbing the stairwell, rather than humbling yourself in the sight of the Lord (1 Pet. 5:6). But Jesus said, “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). Isn’t it better just to cast all of your care upon the Lord, for He cares for you? (1 Pet. 5:7). Carrying your anxieties, worries, stresses, and daily struggles by yourself shows that you have not trusted God fully, nor have you been grateful. Although you know God, you must glorify Him as your Elevator and be thankful, lest you become futile in your thoughts and foolish in your hearts (Rom. 1:21). “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift (elevate) you up (Text). God is your Elevator!