In today’s reading, Psalm 18:1-3 declares: 

I love you, Lord; 
    you are my strength. 
 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; 
    my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. 
He is my shield, the power that saves me, 
    and my place of safety. 
I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, 
    and he saved me from my enemies. 

The opening of this Psalm tells us that this is a Psalm of David, written when he had been victorious over all his enemies, including Saul. Words like these are one of the reasons God declared David to be a man after his heart. David offered sincere, humble worship to God. He did not take credit for his victories himself, and as the Psalm goes on he describes in great detail the degree of his helplessness compared to the might of the LORD. To hear David tell it, he was as good as dead. But God. 

Humility can be tricky. As soon as we start thinking we’re doing OK in that department, we’ve taken a few steps back. But it starts with a sincere and honest approach to God. Maybe you notice in Psalm 17 that David wasn’t pretending everything was OK. He was actually demanding that God answer his prayer, asking God to move on his behalf, reminding God that he was righteous while his enemies were wicked. Humility is honesty combined with a faith that reminds us that God has already solved the problem we face and God is not shaken by it.  

Most importantly, humility is a posture that invites us into the fullness of God. We cannot receive the blessings God wants to give us if we insist that we are solely responsible for the good things in our lives.  

Questions for reflection: 

  1. Spend time in prayer, praying the words above back to God. Pay attention to the specific things God has done for you in your prayer. 
  1. It’s good to have a sense of a job well done – that kind of pride keeps us moving forward. On the flip side, take a moment to consider things you are taking credit for when the glory belongs to God. Ask for forgiveness and for eyes to see how these things might be keeping you from the fullness of God’s blessings.