A Prayer to Root Out Pride
By Annie Yorty
Bible Reading:
“This is what the Lord says: ‘Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches.’” - Jeremiah 9:23 NLT
Listen or Read Below:
True confession—I have a brown thumb. I would never be accused of being a master gardener. But I could recognize a weed when I saw it.
Last fall, I knelt in my flower bed raking dead leaves from among my ground cover. This creeping plant produces a carpet of white, multi-layered flowers that resembles a patch of snow in my garden every spring. Google tells me its name is candytuft. Eventually, the petals give way to a profusion of tiny, rounded leaves for the remainder of the growing season.
I pushed back the foliage with my cultivator to claw out the debris that had collected beneath it. The plant clung to my hand and sleeve when I withdrew the tool. I tried to brush it off, but it latched onto the fabric like Velcro.
Has this plant always been sticky? I leaned in for closer inspection. All the leaves had the same shape and color, but some felt gummy. I pushed the greenery aside to examine the stems. The non-sticky foliage had brown, woody stems, but the counterfeit leaves were purplish-gray near the root.
Fortunately, I didn’t need to be a plant genius to realize I had a sneaky imposter growing up among my ground cover. Using my hands as a guide, I found the weeds and ripped them out at the roots. I pulled every trickster one by one, but I also lost some of the good foliage in the process. I leaned back on my heels and surveyed the gaping holes in my once beautiful ground cover.
As I lamented the damage caused by the imposter, I wondered how long it had crept unchecked in the flower bed, weaving its sticky tentacles throughout every part of the healthy plant.
Friends, have you noticed pride operates a lot like my sticky weed?
The sin of pride occurs when pleasure in an accomplishment or possession morphs into overblown self-esteem. As an author, if I garner accolades for writing a clever story, I must guard against pride seeping into my heart. When my children succeed, my inclination may be to credit my parenting skills. If I receive attention for my work in children’s ministry, I become susceptible to thinking I am better than someone who didn’t serve. Pride lures us into believing we are the source of our gifts and talents rather than God.
How might the stealthy weed of pride be creeping in and around your garden of accomplishments?
My ground cover returned to life this spring after its winter nap.
Determined not to be fooled by the impostor again, I check my garden almost daily. My eye alone cannot discern the fakes, so the inspection must be up close and personal. I stoop down and touch every leaf. If I detect stickiness, I run my hands down the stem to the source and yank it out.
In the same way, we need to root out the sticky human tendency to boast in ourselves for God-given accomplishments. James, the brother of Jesus, gives us a weedkiller for pride. “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world” (James 4:7-8 NLT).
My garden was ravaged for an entire season before I discovered the impostor. Rooting out the weeds left an unsightly mess. Likewise, pride will grow and wreck our work for God if we fail to apply God’s weedkiller of humility every day.
I also noticed the impostor in my garden never flowered. Similarly, pride never produces eternal fruit that is pleasing to God. Instead, conceit creates vast barren areas in our lives. But when we humbly turn human accolades into a spotlight on God’s glory, we reveal the fruit of God’s Spirit within us to a world that needs to know Him.
Let’s pray:
Dear Father God, I’m grateful You created me with unique gifts and abilities in Your image. And I thank you for giving me a divine purpose for which I can employ all you’ve given me. I am privileged to be a showcase of your glory. Your Word says I’m prone to become prideful about my wisdom, influence, and possessions. I confess I’ve repeatedly fallen prey to this sin. The sneaky weed of pride creeps among my accomplishments, and I scarcely recognize the impostor until it’s taken root and choked out the glory due to You. I need your help. I invite you to inspect my heart and reveal any attitudes that do not reflect you or accomplish your eternal purposes. Please root out any imposters that threaten to outshine you. I want my life to bloom with Your glory. I pray in the name of Jesus, my Savior. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Eerik
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