Navigating COVID-19: A 7-Day DevotionalSample

Humility in COVID-19

Overview

In a global season of loss, fear, and uncertainty with COVID-19, God is inviting us into a deeper trust in him. Use this season of social distancing and quarantines as an opportunity to draw closer to the heart of God, as well as serve those around you. You are not forgotten. You are not abandoned. God is ever-present, even in the midst of all your struggles and doubts. May you be a light and comfort to those around you in the midst of this worldwide unrest.

Scripture

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  Philippians 2:3-8

Worship

Watch The Blessing by Kari Jobe & Cody Carnes on YouTube

Devotional

It seems to be the default setting for all of us, as humans, to think of ourselves first. We’re quick to wonder about how things affect us personally. We’re quick to be frustrated when inconvenienced or overlooked. I think for most us, myself included, thinking about ourselves comes as naturally as breathing. 

It was a surreal experience walking through the grocery store last week. I walked down each aisle, amazed at how few items were left. I had heard about people hoarding toilet paper and sanitizer in response to the coronavirus but was shocked to see the results of days of frenzied purchases. It became clear to me that fear had surfaced a mindset that often resides more subtly in all of us, “How do I take care of myself?” 

I bring this up, not as an effort to shame anyone, but as a reminder that there is greater freedom and joy in the life that God is inviting us into today. Jesus flips our societal systems on their head proclaiming in Matthew 10:39, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” He invites us into a life lived for more than ourselves. 

We see the greatest example of this in Jesus, who “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant.” What’s so powerful about the perspective of a servant is that he or she lays aside their own agendas, preferences, and anxieties, and, instead, sacrificially loves and honors others through their words and actions. We see that Jesus, trusting in the love of the Father, chose to love us even at great cost to himself. 

All of us are invited into this life of humility, but the reality is that none of us can accomplish that in our own strength. C.S. Lewis rightly stated “If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud.” For us to walk in a spirit of humility during these stressful days of COVID-19, we must first recognize we need God’s help, and that he is eager to give it! 

True humility is found in the presence of God. 

God is able and willing to help lead us into a life of humility today for his glory and our good. As you spend time with him in guided prayer, let him soften your heart, and ask him to open your eyes to those around you that you can serve.

Guided Prayer

1. Reflect on God’s sacrificial love towards you. Take a moment to think about how God has generously loved you in your greatest times of need, even when you haven’t deserved it. 

2. Invite the Spirit to give you a heart of humility.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

3. Ask God to bring someone to mind who you can serve with humility. How can you reflect the generous and selfless love of the Father to those around you?

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

Go: 

Choose one action that you can take to serve someone around you. Maybe it’s making a run to the grocery on behalf of another. Maybe it’s giving of your finances for those who are out of work. Maybe it’s simply sending a kind text that you are thinking of and praying for someone.

God longs to empower you to love others with humility. By his power and grace, you can do incredible, eternal and impactful things, even in the midst of stressful and unpredictable seasons. You are the child of God, made in his image and filled with the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. Let that confidence in who you are in Him allow you to boldly serve those around you.