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Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

James 4:10

When I searched the image library for a picture to go with this post, I first used the key words “humble” and “humility” but unfortunately, there wasn’t much to choose from. Granted, humble is not an easy concept to capture in a picture.

The image I ended up selecting came by searching “prayer” instead, since one of the main ways we express humility is by praying to Someone bigger than ourselves. I ended up choosing the image above because, in my mind, the gentleman’s expression and posture seemed to convey brokenness and humility. It appears that maybe he’s hurting and seeking help with his pain by communing with God.

During these days in which we are struggling at so many levels maybe it would be helpful to hit pause on all the things feeding our hysteria, while we withdraw into the presence of God for a moment of heart-felt prayer. After all, the issues we are facing will not be overcome with human ingenuity or political power. Band-aid solutions won’t do. We need the kind of healing that only God can provide.

As I observe Christians and the church these days, of which I am a part, it has me wondering what would happen if we were as hyper-engaged spiritually as many of us are politically?

What would happen if we re-directed some of that time, emotion, and energy that is going to tracking the latest newsfeed and political developments to seeking God at the throne of grace?

What would happen if we stopped fighting everyone about everything and instead started pushing back against the actual enemy, Satan, the antagonist of our souls?

…what would happen if we were as hyper-engaged spiritually as many of us are politically?

What if we just stopped everything and humbled ourselves before God by confessing our sin, acknowledging our own failures, and then asked Him to give us the mercy and grace that all of us so desperately need right now?

If we did, I suspect it would make a positive difference.

“Dear God, on behalf of our families, communities, and our nation, we come to You humbly. We acknowledge that we need Your forgiveness. Though this is something we would rather just avoid, we understand that we cannot avoid it. Nor do we need to. We approach You in the Name of Your Son, Jesus, and confess that what we most desperately need comes only from You. We invite You to search our hearts and expose the attitudes and perspectives that have offended You. We won’t bother trying to confess our neighbor’s sins without first confessing our own. We admit that we have lost our way. Turn us around and change us from the inside out. Though in some ways it seems hopeless to ask these things of You, we believe the truth is, because of Jesus, it is not hopeless. We are hurting but not hopeless. Grant us the grace to remember You, to wait upon You, to trust You with our broken circumstances and with our broken hearts. We implore You to help us just now. May Your love for us, demonstrated on a Cross, become the most important thing to us. And may we reflect that same love to the person in front of or beside us, no matter how rude or unkind they may be. Thank you in advance for Your faithful response. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.