For a long time, I thought being "strong" meant having all the answers and never showing a crack in the armor. Lately, though, I've been thinking a lot about humility. It's a word that sounds kind of weak or passive — but it's actually the bravest way to live.
Even the Greats Need a Hand
As I studied this week's verse, I kept coming back to how small it looks and how heavy it actually is:
"Brethren, pray for us." — 1 Thessalonians 5:25 (KJV)
Think about who wrote that: Paul. This is the guy who wrote most of the New Testament, traveled the known world, and faced down literal shipwrecks and prisons. If a man like Paul was humble enough to look at his friends and say, "Hey, I need you to pray for me," then who am I to think I don't need to ask?
Every Christian's life — especially when you're trying to walk a straight path in a world that pulls you in every other direction — needs prayer. It's the fuel for the process.
Shifting the Trust
Walking in humility means changing where I put my confidence. It's easy to rely on my own willpower or my own "good vibes" for the day, but that eventually runs dry.
Leaning on my own strength — and eventually failing.
Shifting that trust fully onto God's will.
When we realize we all need prayer, it changes how we look at each other. Instead of holding a grudge or judging someone for messing up, I remember that we're all in a process of sanctification. None of us are finished products. We are all works in progress, fueled by the same Spirit.
When Words Fail
I'll be honest: sometimes I sit down to pray and I've got absolutely nothing. My brain feels like static. I don't know what to ask for or how to say it. That's when this verse becomes a lifesaver:
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." — Romans 8:26 (KJV)
We don't always know what to pray for — but the Spirit intercedes for us. Even when we are weak, the Spirit is active. So when I feel that small nudge to pray, even without the "perfect" Christian words, I've learned not to suppress it:
"Quench not the Spirit." — 1 Thessalonians 5:19 (KJV)
I don't want to put that fire out. I just let the Spirit work through the silence. And when I really don't have the words, I pray the Psalms — you can never go wrong praying God's own words back to Him.
A Challenge for the Week
Humility isn't thinking less of yourself; it's thinking of yourself less and of God more. It's realizing that we are the body of Christ — and a body doesn't work if the parts aren't supporting each other.
So right now, take a second to pray for the people around you. Pray for your family, your friends, even the people in leadership who seem like they have it all together. They need it just as much as we do. And don't forget to pray for yourself.
Brethren, pray for us.
Asking for help isn't weakness — it's faith.