March 5th Devotion

A Prayer to Be a Humble Servant
By Christine Perry 

"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!" - Philippians 2:6-8 NIV

The older you get, the more people you know and the more opportunities to have disagreements and to make mistakes. In light of this, there are also more opportunities to show humility and regard others' needs as better than your own.

Humility is a mind that is set on Christ with submission to the will of God. When we bow in submission to the Lord, He will come to our rescue. James 4:6-10 says:

"But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.' Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

As humans, we crave control. We want to see how our actions bring about good results. But when you submit, you relinquish control, outcomes, and choices. It's difficult. But God can see the whole picture. He knows what we need when we need it and why we need it. It's our job to submit to whatever He wants to do in our life.

Oftentimes, God will teach us humility through trials. He sovereignly places us where we need to be. David said in Psalm 119:71, "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." Look at Job, in chapter 42, verses 1-6, after all his trials, and after God speaks to him, the Bible says:

“Then Job replied to the LORD: I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?'
Surely, I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. ‘You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes."

David and Job were human, and we are human, so we expect trials. But what if I told you that Jesus, who was perfect, also learned obedience through what he suffered (Hebrews 5:8)? Jesus' posture was that of a servant. He willingly placed Himself under His Father's will. When the Father said wait, Jesus waited. When the Father said to act, He acted. When He needed to pray, He prayed all night. Whatever His Father wanted Him to do, He did it.

Jesus is always our ultimate example. We will never be perfect, and we won't always get things right, but we have a mentor and friend from whom we can learn. Psalm 25:9 says, "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way."

Let's pray:
Dear Lord,
You are exactly that — Lord. You're the Potter, and we are the clay. Father, we ask that You help us have hearts that obey You. We are so inadequate. We are so riddled and saturated with our sin. Lord, we are sorry, and we need You. We ask that we would decrease and You would increase. We lay aside our wants, agendas, schedules, and plans. We ask that You would place in our hands what You want there, and we ask that You would remove what You don't want. Lord, help us to trust You. You're good. You have our very best in mind, and You love us more than anyone else ever could. We need You. Thank You for hearing us. We love You. Please help us to love and serve You better. We are yours to do with us as You please.
In Jesus' name, amen.