El-e-vates v. raised from a lower to a higher position; raised in rank or condition

Monday

As I was looking at the different definitions of elevate, I came across an interesting thing - you can’t elevate yourself. Look at the two definitions above, they speak about being raised from a lower place to a higher place and being raised in rank or condition. To me, they read as though someone is doing the raising. It doesn’t say to raise oneself to a higher position, but to be raised. How often do we see the ethos of the world training our children to strive for self elevation. Coupled with the idea that it is you who makes your mark in this life, it’s no wonder our world is in the place it is! I long to get the priority of elevation right. And in this devo it is becoming more evident to me that the world has the wrong one in charge!
So, with that in mind, we need to look at ‘who’ is doing the raising. This week’s devo looks at God raising or elevating you. On Wednesday you will see an example of someone raising or elevating someone else. That means you can be elevated by God or God can use you to elevate someone else. Just for fun, answer the next two questions without boundaries or rational thinking. . .
How would like to be elevated by God? What would it look like?
Now, back to thinking. . .
Why did you choose for it to look this way?
What aspects of it do you already see in your life?
These questions are just food for thought. . .perhaps you can reflect back on your answers as the week goes on.

Tuesday

       This is what the LORD says:
       “Heaven is my throne,
       and the earth is my footstool.
       Where is the house you will build for me?
       Where will my resting place be?
       Has not my hand made all these things,
       and so they came into being?”
       declares the LORD.
       “This is the one I esteem:
       she who is humble and contrite in spirit,
       and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:1-2 (NIV)

This passage starts with God in His rightful place. Can you just picture this scene? Heaven is the throne God sits on. Now a throne is large - it is probably the largest seat in all the kingdom. Solomon’s throne was 7 stairs high from the throne room floor! A throne is indeed ‘the’ seat of all seats! It identifies the one who will sit on it above all others. But in relation to the kingdom - it is still just a seat. Now here is God explaining that heaven is His throne. Can you begin to see the enormity of His kingdom? The next line really impacts again - the earth is His footstool. WOW. Do you know what a footstool was used for in a throne room? It was directly connected with the throne. If a king was on his throne, then the footstool was provided, in the human world, for the comfort of the king, and in the abstract world, for the identification of authority and power over all things. God has the earth as His footstool. It’s an attempt to show just how magnificent and powerful and sovereign God is. All this is a foundation to position you in a place where you can see just how precious you are to God that He would elevate you to a place of honour and esteem you in either the physical or spiritual world.
Esteem in the Hebrew is chashab which means to account or intend; to place value on or thought into. It’s interesting that one word can have such vast meaning. God wants to elevate you or esteem you so that you are placed where He wants you to be. But how does that happen? By being a woman of character and holding back the temptation of pride and haughtiness. A woman of humility will reap a bounty of value and intention from the Lord. I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of intention the Lord has towards me. Can you think of what it means for you? The goal is to be humble and contrite or gentle in your spirit and to heed God’s word. This may not be successful all the time (or even once a week!) but you should have a desire to spur on towards this goal. Why? Because the benefits go far beyond what you could imagine. They have eternal dividends! How you establish your relationship with the Lord now will be reflected in heaven. As I scoured through my Bible to find out more about elevation I realised that it is constantly connected with humility. Look at this passage:

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. 1 Peter 5:6 (NKJV)

There is always going to be a time factor with God. He does it with the perfect placement of when, where and how. Your job is to humble yourself, then let God be God. It doesn’t say He will do it come what may! In fact, it kind of suggests that it might not be a ‘given’, so don’t go into it with an ulterior motive! Just do it because God says so. Which leads me to another passage I found:

So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:4 (NLT)

Here is a great clue to becoming a humble woman - be childlike (not childish). There is a difference and some people can’t seem to tell! You need to take responsibility and be accountable to God and hopefully someone you respect that will spur you on to be a woman worthy of elevation. This one comes with a promise - if you can place yourself in a position of humility, then God will place you in an honourable position in heaven. Now what that exactly means, I don’t know, but it has to be cool! The next verse was one that really struck me because of how specific it is:

Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant]. James 4:10 (AMP)

When you understand your position of insignificance before the Lord (the Being we read about in Isaiah 66) then you are in the exact place He can begin from, to elevate you beyond where you dreamed you could go! God is longing to make your life significant, but a woman filled with pride and stubbornness to make her own mark on this world is not someone God can work with.
I want to be that clay in the Potter’s hands. But there are some things I will have to let go of in order to be useable to Him. Humility goes before an elevation! So get those things out of the way that are stopping you from laying before the throne, the wonderful throne of your amazing God, and let him raise you up His way in His time. I think you’ll be surprised at what God will do with you as you submit your will to Him and become a woman that is elevated.

Wednesday

“Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, since the Lord has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands, let all your enemies and those who try to harm you be as cursed as Nabal is. And here is a present that I, your servant, have brought to you and your young men. Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way. The Lord will surely reward you with a lasting dynasty, for you are fighting the Lord’s battles. And you have not done wrong throughout your entire life. Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the Lord your God, secure in his treasure pouch! But the lives of your enemies will disappear like stones shot from a sling! When the Lord has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel, don’t let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the LORD has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant!” 1 Samuel 25:26-31 (NLT)

This passage is an example of a woman who elevates others. Now admittedly Abigail was in very grave danger at the time, but she could have reacted a number of ways to David and his army. I know that when I’m looking down the barrel of a gun (so to speak) I can become defensive and lose all ability to be Christlike. I have learned that it’s a journey towards a better me, through many mistakes and lots of struggles to become a woman who elevates others even when there is no possible gain for me. Can you relate to that? Abigail is a woman who has shown me a different way to go - to deny my human instincts and let the Spirit guide me. She chooses to respond in such a way that diffuses David’s  anger, and places him where God can move in his heart to see the situation through new eyes. What was Abigail hoping for? Perhaps her life, and the life of her household. Or maybe not even that. Could it be that her only concern was to prevent David from making a mistake that would follow him for the rest of his life? Was she so humble and focused that her goal became that simple? What a marvelous example! Look at the passage. Right from the get-go she is anointed in her words to David. She speaks of her gratitude to the Lord that David has not yet committed an act of regret. Then she presents him with gifts - more than what he asked for to begin with. She provides an abundance of food as an offering to him for her husband’s foolishness, for her gratefulness as the woman in charge of the estate. 
and as an apology for the wrong done to David and his men. Then, as she goes on, Abigail begins to prophesy over David about the things to come. A lasting dynasty. Divine safety from the Lord . Value in God’s eyes - secure in His treasure pouch. And, victory over his enemies. I love the verse where she speaks about his enemies disappearing like a stone shot from a sling! Does anyone recall that type of weapon? I’m sure she could have used just about any weaponry metaphor, but here is a historical reference that David could relate to. Abigail is giving David cause to reflect back to a time when God’s hand moved miraculously on his behalf. And finally her reason for this magnificent speech - that when David is made prince over Israel, he will not be weighed down with guilt from any impulsive action done on this day. Abigail elevated David in a way that perhaps no one else could have. She showed and spoke into him with an honour from the Lord. In fact, I believe she was speaking on behalf of the Lord and was really just a willing mouth piece. But isn’t that what being a woman who elevates does? It’s not in this passage, but later on David thanks her for the wise words and heeds her warning to be careful on this day. Later on, Nabal dies and David brings Abigail to be his wife. She is elevated in the physical world to being in the palace as a wife to the great king of all Israel. WOW! What an outcome for Abigail. She allowed God to use her in the most dire circumstance to bring elevation to David, and in turn God gave her so much more than she ever expected. Isn’t that the God you want to serve? Perhaps elevating others with a pure heart is a great start.

Thursday

I was thinking about David and Abigail and wondered how I would have reacted if I was David. Let’s forget that I couldn’t possibly relate to him at all(!), but focus more on the fact that someone completely out of my thinking was stepping out to bless me, build me up, elevate me in their eyes and the eyes of those around us. Now, my first instinct is to be suspicious. I would be very wary of their motives and what ‘fallout’ I was to expect from this interaction with them. It’s kind of sad really. I guess, in honesty, a good friend could, and has, elevated me and I have accepted that as a gift of love from them as well as a hug from God. But to have an adversary do it? That brings a whole lot of other feelings along with it. As followers of Christ, we are called to trust God’s plan. Even if that involves interacting with people who we do not call ‘friend’. I am reminded of the story in Acts where Paul (at that time Saul) had a revelation from Jesus and changed his tune! What must have gone through Ananias’ head when Saul lopped onto the doorstep to be ministered to? Ananias was expecting Saul to kill them all! Sometimes the Lord does things in the most unconventional way. Even if you think you’re movin’ with the times, just wait ‘till He tips your boat a little and the water splashes in. You may well react instead of respond. Thankfully David responds to Abigail with an open heart to hear the Lord speak through her. He was wise. He didn’t allow his agenda to run the show, but humbled himself to listen. That’s a perfect place to start - listen. If someone is speaking to you let your filters be put in place by the Holy Spirit and He will help you discern what is from God and what isn’t. A good rule of thumb is to gauge how the words make you feel. If someone speaks over you and you feel so much worse at the end of it, then I’d be careful how much you take on. Of course there is a difference between elevation and correction. Elevation should lead to a positive result in your heart. Which leads to the next point. Make sure you know what the person intends by doing this. If they indicate that they just want to encourage you, then you know where you are. If they explain that it is hard for them and you might find it hard too, then you know a correction is coming! You do not want to be expecting one thing and getting another. And lastly, let God be the final say. Take it to Him to pray, journal and listen to Him. If it’s confirmed in your spirit, then feel blessed that someone was raised up to elevate you. If it doesn’t sit right, then go to prayer. It may take more processing time. Now, what about if I was Abigail. Having to face an impending death, but going forward to my enemy with a message of conviction from the Lord. I would have been so scared. My first reaction would have been to let Nabal take all the heat. It would have been tempting to show my innocence in the whole ordeal. To try and make David see that I wasn’t all that bad and to show me mercy. Basically, it would have been all about me! Me! Me! Me! But Abigail made it all about David and the Lord. She moved the human focus onto a heavenly focus, placing herself as a humble servant willing to be used for whatever the Lord needed. Abigail spends more time speaking elevated words into David than anything else! It’s quite a confronting thought isn’t it? To see someone who had more reason than either you or I have had to do things differently, but Abigail is not going to compromise from the shift in her heart from the Lord. As a woman who elevates, you may be called to elevate someone hard or enter a situation you are an ‘innocent’ in to bring about the heart of God. Abigail had options, and you do too. But she pushed aside the temptation to do less, go softly, be half hearted and provoked David into a serious mindset change. He went from being a victim of circumstances to an elevated man in the eyes of the Almighty! What a shift! This began a process in David’s life that took him from the caves to the palace. Abigail became a beautiful conduit of God’s value and intention and thoughts towards David. This is the power a woman who elevates can do when she is open to being elevated herself.

Friday

Has this week opened up any blockages for you that may be preventing you from experiencing God’s elevation? If so, then briefly journal those things down. It’s great to record them because it can be used as a memorial stone later on when satan wants to lie to you and rob you of relationship intimacy with God. It may be that God invests into you through Scripture, prayer, music or others. . .
What do you need to change in your life to be more open to elevation from others?
Why do you find it easier to receive it from a friend or loved one?
How can you let God minister to you to accept elevation from anyone without feeling vulnerable?
Now for Action - Spend some time praying and meditating on this concept of elevation. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you who he wants you to elevate. It may be better to start with someone you know well. Let them know you’re learning a new gift, and God has given them a very special role - to be your practice person. I’d be touched if that was said to me, so don’t worry about what they think, just move forward. Then, give yourself time to listen to God, write it down and pray it through, then write down anything that expands on it. The goal is to elevate someone to feel loved by God. If you are in that ball park, then you are a woman who elevates!