The most fundamental act of humility is prayer. Praying in faith gives us the opportunity to humble ourselves before the Lord. It allows for quiet contemplation, personal reflection, confession, and meditation on the Word of God. Prayer is releasing and it reminds us of God’s concern and his desire for intimacy with us.
1 Peter 5:6-7 [NIV] reads:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Here are three simple prayers of humility to consider and practice:
1. “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
We have a biblical model for this prayer in Luke 18:9-14.
2. “Lord, help.”
This prayer is simple enough. Even when we think we know what to do, praying for God’s help is a humble act of surrender. God can reveal his will and direction if only we ask Him.
3. “Lord, have your way.”
Jesus models this prayer for us in what we have labeled, “The Lord’s Prayer.” When the disciples ask him how to pray, one of the sentences in his prayer is, “[Father] Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10).” The pride of this life causes us to seek our own way. Praying this prayer and understanding the biblical context, reminds us that we are part of God’s kingdom and we humbly agree that we want His work to be done in and through us. We want God to reign in our hearts and life so his kingdom can be manifest on this earth, right now, as it is in heaven.
Recently, I read Exodus Chapters 3-4 which records God’s conversation with Moses’ commissioning at the burning bush. Moses was humbled at God’s request. Additionally, Moses was fearful and doubtful of his newly assigned mission. Moses even provided God with excuses as to why he should not be His representative to Pharaoh and the Israelites. God’s response to Moses was simple: “Now go; I will help you speak, and will teach you what to say (Ex. 4:12).”
So often we deal with difficult situations and difficult people, and we don’t know why God has placed us in a situation. We get anxious, fearful, doubtful, and may even consider turning away from God’s path for us. Sometimes we don’t know what to do or say, but God’s statement to Moses has compelled me to add another prayer to this list:
4. “God, give me strength to go and teach me what to say.”
Do you have any prayers of humility to add to the list?
© Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 2013
A SISTA'S JOURNEY 