When Pride Takes You Down—And Grace Lifts You Up
February 19, 2025
Scripture
“But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.”
— Daniel 5:20 (ESV)
Devotional Thought
Let’s talk about a guy who had it all—and then lost it all because he thought he was it all. Meet King Nebuchadnezzar.
This man was the ruler of Babylon, the most powerful empire of his time. He had everything—power, wealth, influence. If he walked into a room, people bowed. If he wanted something, it was his. Nebuchadnezzar was that guy.
And he knew it.
One day, he looked over his kingdom and basically said, “Wow, look at what I built. Look how powerful I am. Look how great I am.” Pride dripped from his words. No mention of God. No gratitude. Just me, me, me.
Bad move.
God, who had been patient with him, finally stepped in. A voice from heaven said, “The kingdom has been taken from you.” And just like that, the king went from palace life to wild animal life. He literally lost his mind, lived in the wilderness, ate grass like a cow, and let his hair and nails grow out like some kind of beast.
For seven years.
Imagine waking up one day thinking you’re on top of the world and then waking up the next… chewing on grass.
That’s where pride leads. It convinces you that you are in control, that you are self-made, that you don’t need anyone else—not even God. But here’s the truth: pride builds you up just to let you fall.
Here’s What We Learn From Nebuchadnezzar:
1.Pride blinds you to reality.
Nebuchadnezzar thought his success was all his doing. He forgot that everything—his power, his position, his very breath—was a gift from God. Pride tricks us into thinking we’re untouchable. But the higher we build ourselves up, the harder the fall.
2.God humbles the proud.
Not because He’s cruel, but because He loves us too much to let pride destroy us. God didn’t let Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogance slide. He stripped away everything to show him what was actually true: God is in control, not us.
3.There’s hope after the fall.
The best part of Nebuchadnezzar’s story isn’t his downfall—it’s his comeback. After seven years, he looked up to heaven, and his sanity returned. He humbled himself before God, and guess what? God restored him. He got his kingdom back, but this time, he knew who really deserved the glory.
Let’s Be Honest:
Maybe you’re not a king, but pride sneaks into all of our lives. It doesn’t matter if it’s your talent, your grades, your looks, your success—if you start thinking, “I did this,” without acknowledging God, you’re setting yourself up for a fall.
But here’s the good news: God’s grace is bigger than your pride.
Maybe you’ve been living like it’s all about you. Maybe you’ve been ignoring God because, honestly, life’s been good. Maybe you’ve been relying on your strength instead of His. If so, hear this—God isn’t trying to humiliate you. He’s trying to bring you back to Him.
And if you’ve already fallen, if pride has already wrecked some things in your life, look up. God is still there, ready to restore you, just like He did for Nebuchadnezzar.
Reflection Questions:
1.Where has pride been creeping into your life?
Be honest. What’s an area where you’ve been taking credit instead of giving glory to God?
2.What would it look like to humble yourself before God?
How can you shift your focus from “Look at me” to “Look at what God has done”?
3.How has God shown you grace even when you didn’t deserve it?
Take a moment to reflect on times when God has been patient with you, even when pride got in the way.
Prayer:
God, I know that pride sneaks into my heart more often than I realize. I want to be in control. I want the credit. But I also know that everything I have—everything I am—comes from You. Forgive me for the times I’ve made life about me instead of You. Help me to humble myself before You now, before I have to fall. And if I have already fallen, remind me that Your grace is enough to lift me up again. You alone deserve the glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.”
— Daniel 5:20 (ESV)
Devotional Thought
Let’s talk about a guy who had it all—and then lost it all because he thought he was it all. Meet King Nebuchadnezzar.
This man was the ruler of Babylon, the most powerful empire of his time. He had everything—power, wealth, influence. If he walked into a room, people bowed. If he wanted something, it was his. Nebuchadnezzar was that guy.
And he knew it.
One day, he looked over his kingdom and basically said, “Wow, look at what I built. Look how powerful I am. Look how great I am.” Pride dripped from his words. No mention of God. No gratitude. Just me, me, me.
Bad move.
God, who had been patient with him, finally stepped in. A voice from heaven said, “The kingdom has been taken from you.” And just like that, the king went from palace life to wild animal life. He literally lost his mind, lived in the wilderness, ate grass like a cow, and let his hair and nails grow out like some kind of beast.
For seven years.
Imagine waking up one day thinking you’re on top of the world and then waking up the next… chewing on grass.
That’s where pride leads. It convinces you that you are in control, that you are self-made, that you don’t need anyone else—not even God. But here’s the truth: pride builds you up just to let you fall.
Here’s What We Learn From Nebuchadnezzar:
1.Pride blinds you to reality.
Nebuchadnezzar thought his success was all his doing. He forgot that everything—his power, his position, his very breath—was a gift from God. Pride tricks us into thinking we’re untouchable. But the higher we build ourselves up, the harder the fall.
2.God humbles the proud.
Not because He’s cruel, but because He loves us too much to let pride destroy us. God didn’t let Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogance slide. He stripped away everything to show him what was actually true: God is in control, not us.
3.There’s hope after the fall.
The best part of Nebuchadnezzar’s story isn’t his downfall—it’s his comeback. After seven years, he looked up to heaven, and his sanity returned. He humbled himself before God, and guess what? God restored him. He got his kingdom back, but this time, he knew who really deserved the glory.
Let’s Be Honest:
Maybe you’re not a king, but pride sneaks into all of our lives. It doesn’t matter if it’s your talent, your grades, your looks, your success—if you start thinking, “I did this,” without acknowledging God, you’re setting yourself up for a fall.
But here’s the good news: God’s grace is bigger than your pride.
Maybe you’ve been living like it’s all about you. Maybe you’ve been ignoring God because, honestly, life’s been good. Maybe you’ve been relying on your strength instead of His. If so, hear this—God isn’t trying to humiliate you. He’s trying to bring you back to Him.
And if you’ve already fallen, if pride has already wrecked some things in your life, look up. God is still there, ready to restore you, just like He did for Nebuchadnezzar.
Reflection Questions:
1.Where has pride been creeping into your life?
Be honest. What’s an area where you’ve been taking credit instead of giving glory to God?
2.What would it look like to humble yourself before God?
How can you shift your focus from “Look at me” to “Look at what God has done”?
3.How has God shown you grace even when you didn’t deserve it?
Take a moment to reflect on times when God has been patient with you, even when pride got in the way.
Prayer:
God, I know that pride sneaks into my heart more often than I realize. I want to be in control. I want the credit. But I also know that everything I have—everything I am—comes from You. Forgive me for the times I’ve made life about me instead of You. Help me to humble myself before You now, before I have to fall. And if I have already fallen, remind me that Your grace is enough to lift me up again. You alone deserve the glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.