1 Samuel 15:17 (NKJV)
“So Samuel said, ‘When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?’”

There is something that serves as a great attraction to the Lord, and that is a humble perspective of ourselves. This type of personal worldview draws us closer to God, but most importantly, draws God closer to us. When God sees that we acknowledge our own smallness and limitedness, this makes Him want to lift us from where we are, to a higher place.

And there comes the irony. When God lifts us up, He does not want us to change our perspective of ourselves. He wants us to continue being small in our own eyes even though in the eyes of the world, we may have become something really great. Why is it that God does not want us to change our worldview? Why remain small in our eyes?

The reason is simple. God wants a people who will ever live is total dependence on Him. God does not like independence. He created us to be a dependent people, and no matter how great we become on the earth, He does not want us to live away from this dependent posture. For those who remain small in their eyes, they never reach the point of independence.

When Saul was small in his own eyes, he was fully dependent on God, and for that reason, God chose him as king over his people. God did not choose him because he was the most skilful in town; God chose him because of his dependent posture. But once he became king, and settled in his position, he felt he could make decisions without reference to God who made him king.

No matter how great we become, let’s never forget who lifted us up. Let’s never become strong in ourselves, or able to operate independent from the Lord. Even when we think we know what to do, let’s constantly and consciously first relay all our positions to the Lord, and have Him give us the green light to proceed or the red light not to proceed. This dependence pleases the Lord.

And this is the key to keep growing in God. The more dependent we are, the more He lifts us up. The less dependent we become, the more He begins to turn away and look for others who will lean on Him. God knows that the independent man cannot live for His glory. He knows that in this world, the independent man will fall prey to worldly lusts and satanic seductions. He knows.

God is therefore calling us to always and forever live in total dependence on Him, first of us, for our own good. For us to enjoy the fulness of what God has planned for us, this is the only posture that will get us there. But the second reason is that we were created for Him. Living in dependence is the only way to live to fulfil the purpose for our creation.