Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT)
Humility is not something that seems to be considered a good thing in this day and age. When we look at TV shows, for example, the bulk of the reality TV series that are out there show people who lie, cheat, steal, and basically do anything in their power to win or come out on top – stepping on others in the process. Why? Because that’s what the people want. The public craves drama. Imagine watching a show where all of the characters get along, no one gets their feelings hurt, and everyone always considers their own needs secondary to everyone else. It may sound good, but the ratings on it would be terrible. We, the public, want to see theatrics, not people who love one another. It’s a direct result of our sinful nature.
However, the Kingdom of God isn’t about any of that. Instead, Jesus Himself, in complete humility, put Himself last while serving others. He even laid down His life for those that had just beat, spit upon, and whipped Him to shreds. They ultimately nailed Him to a torture device called the cross. He didn’t lash out at them. He didn’t yell every curse word He could think of. He didn’t scream threats against them. Instead, in absolute humility, He surrendered His life in service to humanity.
As Christians, we are called to follow His example of living a life full of humility. So, we have this verse that should weigh HUGE in our hearts. If we “humble [ourselves] and pray and seek [Jesus’s] face, and turn from [our] wicked ways…”
Consider this: Our lack of humility is causing our prayers to go unanswered. When we pray selfish prayers, they fall short. When we pray while harboring resentment toward someone else, our prayers flop. When we pray within our own desires and not those of God, our prayers drift away.
We must follow the lead of Jesus and humble ourselves. We are built to serve God and to serve one another. We must submit to His way of doing things, not ours. We must forgive, as He has forgiven. When we do this, He hears our prayers, forgives our sins, and restores us.
ChadReisig.org 