Day 6

Another benefit of an extended time of fasting and prayer is it leads us to humility.  Jesus warned his disciples of “fasting like the hypocrites”.  

In Matthew 6:16-17, Jesus says, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites…” and then he goes on to say, when you fast…”, and he goes on to tell them what attitude they are to fast with.  It seems he is targeting pride.  He wants his disciples to understand that pride leads to the destruction, but humility is the best place to be.  Humbling ourselves before the Lord is a very important matter.  

Paul Bunyan had a prayer that went like this: “He that is down need fear no fall.  He that is low no pride.  He that is humble ever shall have God to be his guide”.  

Meditate on the following passages regarding the importance of humility:

Luke 14: (NIV)
For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

James 4:10 (NIV)
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

1 Chron. 7:13-15 (NIV)
“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

1 Peter 5:5,6 (NIV)
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
 but shows favor to the humble.”

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Psalm 35:13 (NIV)
Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered…

The language that is used here is “humbled myself”.  

But the Hebrew language says, “I humbled my soul”.  Why do we need to humble our soul?  Well, your soul is arrogant part of you; it’s the self-assertive part.  Your soul has three main functions: the will, the intellect and emotions.  These are expressed in the following manner:  I want, I think, I feel.  And God wants all of that to align with Him.  In order to align with His will, we have to deal with our soul.  One way to humble our soul is through fasting and prayer – getting before God and recognizing who He is.  “Be still and know that I am God”.