King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was the great King of the ancient world. He surveyed his vast empire and gave glory to himself (Dan.4:30), saying in effect, “I did it!” He believed he was deserving of the utmost admiration and worship of all others. Pride sets self at the centre of every achievement. Pride takes God out of the equation because it says, “I did it and therefore, now, I deserve it.” It fails to recognize all blessings flow from only one source, God.

But pride brings misery. Pride possesses us with a deep sense of ‘owedness’. We will never be truly satisfied because we feel we are always owed something from others, be it respect, admiration or gratitude. Contrast this with humility. A humble person acknowledges that he is deserving of nothing from God. He celebrates life with a thankful heart that realizes everything is possible only by God’s grace.

The principle of God’s kingdom is that whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Mat. 23:12) And God did humble Nebuchadnezzar. At the prime of his life, he would lose his sanity and be plunged into an animal-like transformation. It was through this devastating change that God would cure him of his pride. In order to end pride in ourselves and enlarge our praise for God, we need a journey like the King of Babylon’s, a journey through the valley of brokenness. May we heed Jesus' words, “Whoever humbles himself, like this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat. 18:4)