“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:7-10

Lord God, Keep me faithful to you throughout my entire life. You are a faithful God who never turns from his promises and is relentless in pursuit of your people. Don’t ever give up on me. Keep me faithful to you. Moreover, dear Father, do what you must in my life to humble me beneath you. You are the only sovereign of this world. Do what you must to keep me close to you and in the one true faith all the days of my life. I won’t make it without you. Amen.

It is good and vital for us to humble ourselves before our sovereign God. He remains sovereign whether we acknowledge it or not. Yet, it is always better to acknowledge it. This is especially important for me to know as I live in this world. This world is not my oyster. I am his pearl. I live in his world and he is refining me for his good purposes. Even when I feel that I am in exile, he is never far from me. Even when I am being refined and rough edges are getting knocked off, God is not far off. He is faithful to us. He is sovereign over my life for his eternal and good purposes.