Personal Prayer #1, Pray for Humility
By Scott Jones
There are many prayer guides and devotionals, but there are three specific things that each believer should include in his or her personal prayers before engaging the civil society:
Humility
Wisdom
Courage
As we approach the Father, we should first humble ourselves so that we can surrender our agendas to His. We must recognize that it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit, not our skills and abilities, that we will bring about spiritual awakening and revival. As A.W. Tozer said: Looking back at the history of revivals and the great movements of the Holy Spirit in our past, you will discover revival was never at the whim of the church. The revival was a work of the Holy Spirit in His time and in His way.[i] When we seek to engage the civil society and the political process, we must recognize that we are to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. We do not lead Him!
Pride is an especially great temptation in the political realm – not only for elected officials, but for anyone who gets involved. When we begin to associate with people esteemed as important, we are tempted to think the importance will rub off on us. We must seek God’s providence to remember that we serve the Heavenly King, not our own desires. If we are seeking our own fame, glory, or status by associating with political figures, we can be pretty sure we are following our own hearts and not the Holy Spirit. Likewise, we should seek to support candidates that demonstrate the humility of a servant’s heart and avoid those that are seeking office for accolades and status.
Humility also serves us well when we strive to speak winsomely. Whenever we engage in political discourse, we can expect that we will receive blowback from those that disagree with us. Sincere intellectual debate is not a problem. We should be prepared for that. We have valid, time-tested arguments for the Biblical worldview. These serve us well in legitimate debate. But all too often the response is an ad hominem attack laced with a generous serving of profanity. While the temptation to answer back in kind is real, humility demands that we remember, this is not about us. As Paul says: Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.[ii] Always remember that you were once lost, too, and it is only by God’s grace that you are His.
Here are some additional verses regarding humility to keep in mind:
The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility.[iii]
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.[iv]
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;.[v]
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.[vi]
But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”.[vii]
So, pray for humility, that God will protect you from pride, arrogance, and a sharp tongue as you seek to influence others. As Momma said, “You will catch more flies with honey, than with vinegar.”
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation"
[i] (Tozer 2016)
[ii] Colossians 4:5-6
[iii] Proverbs 15:33
[iv] Micah 6:8
[v] Colossians 3:12
[vi] 1Peter 5:6
[vii] James 4:6
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