Humble, Willing, Available...

Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me fre

Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!

Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear.

Open my mouth, and let me bear,
Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share.

These are the words to an old hymn that our choir has been practicing. God brought them to my mind again this morning during my quiet time, and, once again, I was reminded of my call to serve. It's so easy to forget. As I thought on the words of this hymn this morning, I realized that to truthfully be able to pray this prayer, I need to humble myself. I cannot learn, and I cannot grow if I am not willing to say, "God, I need You. I cannot do this on my own." In my own strength, I will never be able to serve effectively. To be a servant, I must be humble.

God also brought to mind that in order to be a servant, I must be available. As I said before, it's so easy to forget God's call to serve. It's easy to become wrapped up in the things that I'm trying to accomplish and forget to pause and look around me and see who I can help...how I can serve. God will not use me if I'm too busy to listen to His voice. "Silently now, I wait for Thee." Please, God, help me remember to be available - willing to drop everything to reach out and serve others so that through service to them, I may serve You.

Then, of course, I need to be willing - willing to do anything no matter the cost. Am I that kind of a servant? Am I really ready to sacrifice? Am I willing to give all if it will bring my Savior glory? Am I willing to die daily to myself and give always to others? It is a high road to take...a hard road to walk. Am I willing to count the cost, and say, "Open my mouth, and let me bear Gladly the warm truth everywhere." I can share the Truth everywhere with a servant's heart - humble, available and willing, and I believe as the old saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words."

Dear God, make me a servant that you can use. Humble me, God. Remind me to put aside my desires be available to Yours. Give me Your strength, God, so that no matter what the cost may be, I can serve You completely in any way You ask.