What I Learned About Being Humble From Daniel and Dallas

A famous leader once helped a group of slaves escape their oppressors. After being freed, these people would (sometimes) listen to the leader’s teachings. But one day two other men also began to teach and lead in the community. Like mafia soldiers reporting to a don, a young man went to this leader and said, “Hey, some guys are prophesying on your turf!” The second-in-command said, “They need to shut up!”

Instead of feeling threatened, the leader longed to see this kind of leadership more. He said, “If only all the Lord’s people were prophets with the Lord placing his Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:29)

Have you noticed that people often become obsessed with who gets credit? Not us, of course, but other people. Have you heard children insisting on setting the record straight because they thought of something first? Have you noticed how pride causes unnecessary problems in our families and workplaces? How can we change our attitudes to be genuinely humble? I chose to write this article because I’m so humble I once won an award for it. (In case it isn’t abundantly clear, that was a joke.)

Humility can be a tricky topic. As the demonic counselor in Screwtape Letters says:  “[He] has become humble; have you drawn his attention to the fact? All virtues are less formidable to us once the man is aware that he has them, but this is especially true of humility.”

The enemy of our souls would like us to have one of two opinions of ourselves. First, he would have us be puffed up with pride at our strengths. Alternately, he’d like us to be deflated, obsessing over every weakness. In his wonderful booklet “The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness,” Tim Keller points out we often vacillate between those two views.

Dallas Willard says humility is “the beautiful condition of people who have learned to surrender their desires, their glory and their power.” That sounds great, Dallas, but how does that help me if I haven’t achieved that state yet? Willard shares three behaviors we can adopt to grow in humility, and they show how Daniel lived out this truth.

Here’s some quick backstory: Daniel was an advisor to King Nebuchadnezzar. The king had a perplexing dream and angrily demanded of his advisors, “Tell me my dream and its meaning, or I will have you all executed!” Their response was, “That’s impossible!” But Daniel asked the king for time to seek God’s help. God miraculously revealed the dream and its meaning to Daniel, who said to the King, “...this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have more wisdom than anyone else living, but in order that the interpretation might be known to the king…”

Three Practices for growing in Humility

• Never Pretend. Daniel exemplifies this beautifully. He never pretends to be more or less than he is. It would be ridiculous to assume the God of all truth wants you to lie to yourself or others. Let us never deny our strengths. If you are an excellent pianist, or carpenter, or CPA, it would be foolish to practice deceit about that gifting. God doesn’t want you to live in unreality. Daniel also recognized that it was God who provided the miraculous answer. He doesn’t take pride in his role as God’s instrument. Daniel knew the story of how God had once revealed truth through a donkey. He knew God deserved the credit. If God uses me to heal, to speak truth, or to lead well, I can recognize that I’m just a willing servant. He could easily have used a Jersey cow instead if He wanted.
• Never Presume. To grow in humility, we don’t presume we know everything. We don’t make snap judgments. We have grace for others because only God sees their hearts. Daniel could have made assumptions about Nebuchadnezzar's likely response, but instead he kept his focus on God.
• Never Push. Daniel could have tried to manipulate the king. He could have attempted self-promotion (which Ezra previously warned us about). But Daniel sought truth, shared truth, and left the results in God’s hand. A therapist might call Daniel ‘self-differentiated’. Daniel’s humility is rooted in this: he knew and trusted Yahweh. When Daniel’s excellence was recognized, he was given a promotion. But Daniel’s focus never wavered. He never wasted his time playing the court intrigue games that were in vogue. Humility can grow in us when we reject unhealthy thoughts. Thoughts like, “How will this make me look? Can I work this to my advantage?” Or maybe, “I’m not good enough. I’m a failure.” 

Action Step

Take a moment to ask the Holy Spirit what lie you believe. Write down His response. Next, ask Him to show you a scripture that refutes the lie. Cross out the lie and write what is true. Remember that you are God’s image-bearer, made to be a servant-leader like Christ.

We are not to shirk the mission God has given us. We are not to seek preferred roles, grasping at credit or status. Instead, let us be satisfied with our portion—God himself. By His Spirit, may we do what He planned for us, whether it leads to promotion, the lion’s den, great responsibility, or great sorrow—or maybe all of the above.