Sample prayer

Lord Jesus, Your life here on earth was the essence of humility. You are fully God, yet humbly You chose to limit Yourself to the confines of a human body. Despite being in nature God, You did not demand equality with God, rather You were willing to be made “nothing.” In taking on human dimensions to Your person, You willingly became God’s servant. Because of Your humble obedience, You endured a horrendous and painful death on the cross to ensure the whole world gained salvation (Philippians 2:8, Hebrews 9:28). God honoured Your humility through exalting You to the highest place and giving You the name that is above every name. We rejoice knowing that someday every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that You, Jesus Christ, are Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). What a privilege it is to live each day with You as our gentle and humble Saviour (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus, You are Lord of All, Lord of our home and Lord of my heart. What an honour it is to be called Your child and what a privilege it is to pray. It is because of Your grace and forgiveness that I am free to be in Your presence. I know those who are arrogant cannot be close to You (Psalm 5:5). Lord Jesus, please help me to recognize any pride in my heart – whether it shows up as self-centeredness, unforgiveness, ungratefulness and even self-pity. Pride, the sin of being overly focused on “me and my needs,” seems to be one of those sins that sneak up on me so easily. I humbly acknowledge my weak and sinful human tendencies and ask for the good gift of Your Holy Spirit to replace my selfish pride with a willingness to serve and honour others instead of myself. I want our kids to grow up witnessing me readily admitting my mistakes and asking for forgiveness. Please let them see in me an attitude that says, “without God I can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Lord, those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted (Matthew 23:12). If there is any pride in my children’s hearts, I ask that You will reveal it and give ________ and ________ a desire to get rid of it. I pray that, even in their youth, they will be willing to put others first. I ask that ________ and ________ will realize how much they have to learn so they will be teachable and willing to learn Your ways (Psalm 25:9). Most importantly, I pray that they will recognize their own sinfulness and see their need for forgiveness. Please help them to understand that, in Your kingdom, humility comes before honour (Proverbs 29:23).

In our home we honour You as King and promise to serve You and others, not ourselves. It is because of Your kindness, love and mercy that we are saved, through the washing of Your Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-5). In humility we pray “not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1). It is our desire to honour You by having servant hearts like Yours, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Scripture-guided prayer for parents

Read and pray through one or more of the selected Scriptures under each heading. Focus on listening to God and allowing His Spirit to direct you as you pray.

Character focus

Begin by thanking Jesus for His humility and acknowledge that He is worthy of praise, honour and glory.

Psalm 103:13-19 | Psalm 113:4-6 | Isaiah 2:10-21 | Isaiah 57:15 | Philippians 2:8-11

Heart search

Acknowledge the areas where you are tempted to be proud.

1 Samuel 2:3 | Psalm 36:2 | Psalm 101:5 | Proverbs 27:2 | Jeremiah 9:23-24

Gratitude

Thank God for ways you have seen humility demonstrated in your family.

Family requests

Ask God to help you and your children be humble.

Psalm 25:9 | Proverbs 3:5-8 | Colossians 3:12 | Titus 3:1-2 | 1 Peter 5:5-6