Is Meekness a Good Thing?

James 3:13

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

It is my prayer that all of us can name someone in our lives to whom we can look for godly wisdom. It is an important part of walking in the faith every day that we have wise counsel and submit ourselves to it. How do you know when someone qualifies to fill that role in your life? James gives us an answer.

According to today’s verse, people who are wise are also “meek”. That’s probably an unpopular word in today’s world. Meekness in fact gets a bad rap. Meek people are seen as those who are easily manipulated and used. They are the doormats of society. No one wants to be known as meek. That’s too bad, because Jesus and the whole of Scriptures hold meekness up as a positive character trait.

Psalm 37:11 says, “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” Now there’s a fantastic thought – abundant peace. Wouldn’t it be great to say that you spent your day in abundant peace?!

Jesus tells us, in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly [meekly] with your God?” 

Meek people are not doormats. They are not pushovers. They are simply people who are confident and secure in their position with the Lord. When you stand in the presence of God, you can be nothing but humble and meek. And you certainly stand in a position of great strength, for the need to self-defend and justify is gone. I’ve known very few people in my life that I would actually label with the word meek, for our very flesh wars against such a stance. But it is enviable and worth emulating. Jesus was the very definition of meek, and yet He was strong enough to carry our sin to the cross. There isn’t a stronger word in the language than meek.