Prayer Focus: Humility and a Teachable Spirit
Central Scripture: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10)
Prayer:
Father God, You are our Creator and our Redeemer and our Sustainer. You are our Shepherd, guiding us through this life by protecting us from harm and disciplining us when we wander. Your rod and your staff are our comfort, and by Your mercy You lead us to the cool, shady places in the heat of the day. You provide…You lead…You comfort, all out of Your goodness and faithfulness and relentless love for us.
Lord, in the awareness of who You are, it is easy to fall to our knees and recognize that we are but dust…a vapor…a flicker in the realm of time. It is amazing that You would preoccupy Yourself with us. And yet, Lord, when we get into day-to-day life, it becomes too easy to think more of ourselves than we ought. We think we can handle it. We think we are strong enough and know enough and can manage on our own. Please forgive us for our prideful, self-reliant tendencies.
Father, I ask today that You would help my family to humble themselves before You. Let there be no place in our home for selfish pride or ambition, but only for sincere humility of spirit. Help my husband, my children, and me to lower ourselves voluntarily, that our pride doesn’t necessitate a fall. Let us look at the world from a lowly vantage point, never assuming that we are higher than we really are. Let us have the attitude and humility of Christ in every situation.
Lord God, You promise to lift us up when we lower ourselves, but it is not for self-exaltation that we seek humility. We seek humility so that we can see You more clearly…know You more dearly…feel You more nearly.
Father, I ask that You would please allow a spirit of humility to fill our home and our hearts. We are Your children, and when we begin to think of ourselves as more, please humble us. Let us take on the attitude of Christ so that we can accurately and fully represent You to the world.
Amen.