In this week’s blog post, I discuss the meaning of humbling ourselves before God. Some of us were taught to believe that humbling ourselves before God meant displaying meekness and weakness or approaching God with tears and sorrow. However, while there are elements of truth in these postures, some are just emotional expressions or superficial acts of the flesh without genuine humility toward God.
Humility in the Bible is often associated with repentance prayer. When people heeded God’s warnings or corrections and turned away from sin through fasting and repentance, their actions were considered “humble.” Many examples in the Bible show that God relented and averted judgment whenever people did this. For instance, King Ahab considered Israel’s most wicked and unjust king, repented by fasting and sackcloth when warned of God’s impending judgment. God responded to Ahab’s humility: “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days, but in his son’s days, I will bring the disaster upon his house” (1 Kings 21:28-29). Similarly, the citizens of Nineveh also repented of their wrongdoings, and as a result, God granted them forgiveness. (Jonah 3:6-9).
Repentance should be factored into prayer. We often rush to petition our needs and make decrees or declarations without realizing that there could be areas in which we need to repent. Furthermore, at times, we know the right thing to do. We should repent, forgive, pay what we owe a person back, and reconcile differences. Still, we intentionally fail to do that because of the depth of the damage caused or spitefully to maintain a grudge or outright unwillingness to do the right thing. James 4:17 warns that knowing what you should do and not doing it is a sin. Refusing to forgive someone or repenting would be an act of pride. Pride and hard-heartedness or stubbornness are classified as rebellion, which goes against humility.
As believers who have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus, we do not have to live in constant fear of falling into sin or making the focus of our prayers repentance. But if the Holy Spirit convicts, if others point out an area in which we need a change in course direction, we must heed that. What areas have the Holy Spirit convicted you about that you know you need to let go of? Second, if there are areas you feel stuck in, though sin is not always the cause of such, ask the Holy Spirit to show you what is standing In the way of your breakthrough. If it is sin, repent of it; remember that you can repent on behalf of your loved ones or community ( 1 John 1:8-9, Hebrews 8:12).
Another commonly quoted Scripture is 2 Chronicles 7:14-16; it emphasizes repentance and its effects. It is humility that leads to repentance, which then results in forgiveness and healing. These accounts demonstrate the power of admitting our mistakes and seeking God’s forgiveness, even if we have committed the gravest sins. The examples show us that God forgives us when we repent, rather than condemning or fearing that he may not forgive us. Humility before God is repentance.