Why Should I Humble Myself Before God?

Why Should I Humble Myself Before God?

There are principally three answers to this question. The first is that, owing to original sin, we are weak and are inclined to sin. We sin regularly: “a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again” (Proverbs 24:16) – this is thought to mean daily. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10). So we have sins and faults that we need to confess daily, humbling ourselves before God, and asking for His help to overcome them.

The second reason is that we are limited, finite beings, while God is all-powerful and infinite. We need to come to Him humbly in prayer to ask for what we need, to bring our prayer intentions that we cannot take care of ourselves. He is able to answer our prayers.

The third reason is that we are proud and need to show God that He is number one. As the saying goes, “God is God and I am not.” Humility is a hard-won virtue that is acquired through suffering and humiliation. Few choose it, but it is a foundation or gateway for the other virtues; it is essential in the spiritual life. God hates pride and no one can enter heaven as long as he is proud. Pride was the devil’s primary sin. “‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:5-6). He does not seek to punish us but to perfect us…

The best way to humble ourselves before God is The Six Kowtows, in which we prostrate our bodies before God and informally pray from the heart at the same time. Especially in these end times, we need to beg God in this way for all our urgent intentions. Although The Six Kowtows will be practiced from now on and is even practiced in heaven, as revealed through the messenger Lucia Phan, they are given in a special way for the unique times in which we live, when humanity needs to come back to God. The Six Kowtows are for all, from the beginner in the spiritual life to the advanced. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12; cf. Luke 14:11).

Humility is, in fact, a concept of paramount importance in the Bible. That word appears 10 times in the Bible. Among various forms of the word, some stand out: “humble” appears 54 times, “humbled” appears 39 times, and “humiliation” appears seven times. Has humanity not been humbled? Have you not been humbled by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Many have contracted the disease, died, become isolated, or lost income. It is well-known by now that we are all hurting in various ways due to COVID-19 and the falling economies worldwide. Just one example is the suicide rate, which has gone through the roof. To be sure, we need God. The Six Kowtows are heaven’s answer to the unprecedented challenges of these times. They are Blessed Mother’s gift to us to help us in the most effective way to come back to God (not counting the sacraments, of course, but those will be limited soon, again – heaven knows this and has given us the solution during these very trying times).

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made […]” (2 Chronicles 7:13-15). What will you do when things get even worse than now? We know about the happy ending of the Book of Revelation, but how painful it is before then… So God and Blessed Mother are giving us a great grace for these times.

The Six Kowtows are a very powerful prayer practice in which we surrender to God. Many miracles and favors of various kinds come through them. When we beg God through The Six Kowtows, things can happen. We must not be superstitious regarding The Six Kowtows, but material, spiritual, and physical blessings have and will be given to many. The most important grace, though, is purely spiritual – our coming back to God (or ongoing, daily conversion for those who are more advanced).

The foremost reason people do not kowtow, it seems, is pride. Such people are too proud to prostrate themselves before God. It is just too embarrassing. Pride is actually considered a virtue in our day, and to humble oneself in front of others is simply unacceptable. We must not reject heaven’s gift though. Jesus said, “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! […] you did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:42,44). We do not want that said of us regarding this special gift. We must humble ourselves. Here are a few powerful verses of Scripture on this:

“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days […]” (1 Kings 21:29).

“Because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the LORD, when you heard how I spoke against this place, and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have rent your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says the LORD” (2 Kings 22:19).

“Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words” (Daniel 10:12).

“They have not humbled themselves even to this day, nor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statutes which I set before you and before your fathers” (Jeremiah 44:10).

“Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4).

A few words on humility and prayer… Humility is necessary for prayer. One cannot, in fact, grow in one’s relationship with God – that is, pray – without the virtue of humility. Here are two quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that make this clear.

2559 “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or “out of the depths” of a humble and contrite heart? He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer. Only when we humbly acknowledge that “we do not know how to pray as we ought,” are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. “Man is a beggar before God.”

2631 The first movement of the prayer of petition is asking forgiveness, like the tax collector in the parable: “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” It is a prerequisite for righteous and pure prayer. A trusting humility brings us back into the light of communion between the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and with one another, so that “we receive from him whatever we ask.” Asking forgiveness is the prerequisite for both the Eucharistic liturgy and personal prayer.

To conclude, we must humble ourselves before God. In these proud times, God wants us to repent and come back to Him. We also have unique needs and intentions during these tumultuous times. God has provided a way for us to humble ourselves before Him and beg for what we need: The Six Kowtows. These will be all the more necessary when access to the sacraments becomes limited soon. Physical prostration appears throughout the Bible. God wants it to be practiced now, especially when His people are compromised through various restrictions and privations. We need God. We cannot do it on our own. We must renounce the lie of self-sufficiency. If we practice The Six Kowtows, He will come to our aid one way or another. No one leaves empty-handed who practices The Six Kowtows. “But he gives more grace; therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God […] Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you” (James 4:6-7,10).