A Prayer For Humility

A Prayer for Humility

When a certain immoral woman from that city heard [Jesus] was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair.

Luke 7:37-38

When Kathy came to Christ and began to read the Bible, it was as if God took a big yellow marker and highlighted verses that revealed how little humility she and her husband had. She was struck by 1 Peter 5:5, which says, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” But the story in Luke 7 was the clincher. Jesus had been invited to a Pharisee’s home for a meal. While he was there, a woman came in and wept as she anointed Jesus with expensive perfume.

That’s what I want to be like, Lord, Kathy prayed. Humble enough not to care what others think, to simply be obedient and respond to you. She had no idea that this is a prayer God loves to answer, but as she continued to ask for humility, God began to work. Then months later, through a painful situation at their church in which her husband was not voted onto the Search Committee and negative, humiliating things were said about them in front of the entire congregation, her heart was broken. Through her tears, she remembered those prayers for humility and told her husband about them. The impact of the power of his wife’s prayers was so great that he gave his life totally and completely to Christ.

Their home and marriage changed; his business became Christ centered. More than ten years later, they are still humbly and faithfully serving at their church. And God paved the way for Kathy to launch the Worldwide Moms’ Day of Prayer. When women criticized her vision, saying that she hadn’t been involved with the prayer concerts or groups as they had, it rolled off her back like water because all she wanted was to be like the woman who had poured the perfume on Jesus’ feet. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone. More than anything, she wanted to be obedient and humble. —CHERI

Lord Jesus, humility must be very important to you because you came to the world clothed in humility and we’re to become like you. Since your Word says you are drawn to humble people but resist the proud, work within me a heart of humility.

The more humble one is at God’s feet, the more useful he is in God’s hand.

—WATCHMAN NEE (1903–1972), CHINESE CHRISTIAN AUTHOR AND CHURCH LEADER