Power Prayer

Jesus, I acknowledge that you are humble in heart and a lowly servant.  You are the personification of humility.  Although you are equal with God, you did not use that advantage but rather became nothing for my sake.  You washed my feet and call me to do the same to others.  You instruct me to fear the Lord, and so I come before you with fear and trembling.  Guide and teach me as I turn my face towards you in humility and confidence.  Show favor to your lowly servant.  Crown me with victory.  Keep pride from getting ahold of me.  Keep pride from establishing a stronghold in me, so that I may confidently say that I have humbled myself as I await your exalting of me in due time.  Keep me from boasting in anything that I have done or that I am, and may I only boast in this – that I have the understanding to know you.  Understanding that you have made available to me.  Thank you for choosing me, a lowly thing of this world, to nullify the things that are.  And so I will seek humility, walk humbly, become a servant and a slave of all, be the very least and the last, and wash the feet of others in pursuit of becoming completely humble.  Because He must become greater, I must become less.

God/Jesus is the personification of humility

• Zechariah 9:9 – Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!  Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!  See your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey
• Matthew 11:29-30 – Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am…humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light
• John 13:14 – Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
• Philippians 2:5-8 –  In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 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!

Humility comes from fear of the LORD and results in honor; whereas pride leads to disgrace and humiliation

• Proverbs 11:2 – When pride comes then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom
• Proverbs 15:33 – Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the LORD, and humility comes before honor
• Proverbs 18:12 – Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor
• Proverbs 22:4 – Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life
• Proverbs 29:23 – Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor

God’s response to humility: guides, teaches, crowns with victory, shows favor, exalts

• 2 Chronicles 7:14 – if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
• Psalm 25:9 – He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way
• Psalm 149:4 – …he crowns the humble with victory
• Proverbs 3:34 – He mocks proud mockers, but shows favor to the humble and oppressed
• Matthew 5:3 – Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
• Matthew 23:12 – For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted
• Luke 1:52 – He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble
• Luke 14:11 – For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted
• Luke 18:14 – For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted
• James 4:6 – God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble

God will humble in order to test, to teach and to correct

• Deuteronomy 8:2-3 – Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
• 1 Samuel 2:7 – The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts
• Daniel 4:37 – …those who walk in pride he is able to humble
• Matthew 23:12 – For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted
• Luke 14:11 – For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted
• Luke 18:14 – For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted

God despises boasting in anything other than himself

• Jeremiah 9:23-24 – This is what the Lord says:“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.
• Matthew 6:2 – So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
• 1 Corinthians 1:28-29 – God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

God commands that we pursue humility and servanthood; reject pride

• Zephaniah 2:3 – Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands…seek humility
• Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To…walk humbly with your God.
• Matthew 20:26-27 – Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.
• Mark 9:35 – Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.
• Luke 9:48 – …it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest
• John 13:14 – Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
• Romans 12:16 – Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
• Ephesians 4:2 – Be completely humble…
• James 1:9-10 – Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.
• James 4:10 – Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up
• 1 Peter 3:8 – Finally, all of you, be…humble
• 1 Peter 5:5 –  In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble
• 1 Peter 5:6 – Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time

As a believer, I must choose humility in response to what God has done

• Galatians 5:13 – You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
• Colossians 3:12 – Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with…humility…
• James 3:13 – Who is wise among you?  Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom