Good morning. I don’t think that hummingbirds and humility are words that can be used in the same sentence. Hummingbirds may be a lot of things, but humble isn’t a description that comes to mind. But we love them. We have feeders on the back deck, at the corner of the house, and attached by a suction cup to our front window. Why? Because they are beautiful, interesting, and enjoyable. By the end of the summer when all of the hummingbird kids are grown, we have a swarm of them flying around. They dance and they dart, they hover, and they fight. Oh my, how they fight! They may only weigh a fraction of an ounce, but those little buggers are pure attitude.
There are times when people have a hummingbird like attitude, and it rarely ends well. Consider the great king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar. We read in Daniel 4:29-30 Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”
The king was giving himself full credit, full ownership, full glory for all that he could see around him. He had a hummingbird attitude. He was, in the great scheme of things, only one more little fellow passing through time. But he saw himself as the master of all, worthy of glory, and willing to fight to the death to protect what he considered his kingdom.
His story doesn’t end with his proud words from the rooftop. Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.”
God was about to change the king’s mind. Instead of seeing himself as a god on earth, he would see himself as a lowly beast. It took seven years for his attitude to be repaired and for the king to be restored.
We are all blessed in many ways. Do we claim ownership over it all? Do we see ourselves as fully in charge of whatever resources the Lord has granted to us and placed within our care? Do we have an attitude like a hummingbird, ripe and ready for a fall like that once great king?
Are you lord of your time, your finances, your toys and properties? Are you master of friendships, relationships, business and plans? Do you realize that all of it is in the care and the keeping of the King of Kings the Lord of Lords? Have you considered that it is He who deserves all glory, praise, and thanksgiving?
Hummingbirds are feisty, cute, interesting, and arrogant little birds. I am not a hummingbird, and neither are you. We belong to the Lord and all that is around us is a blessing He has entrusted to us for a time. Rejoice and be glad, giving Him all glory!
Vern