At the end of my first week as a missionary in November 1988, I submitted my weekly report to Jerald Taylor, president of the Chile Santiago South Mission. Here is his response:
I admit that I had to look up that scripture; I was not familiar with it. When I read the verse, I understood that humility would be a key to receiving guidance from God:
Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.
Doctrine and Covenants 112:10
I later became familiar with the hymn “Be Thou Humble,” by Grietje Terburg Rowley. I like the parallel structure of this hymn, which illustrates that humility in all aspects of our discipleship unlocks many different blessings from heaven:
| Be thou humble in thy… | and the Lord thy God shall… |
|---|---|
| weakness | lead thee by the hand and give thee answer to thy prayers |
| pleading | bless thee with a sweet and calm assurance that he cares |
| calling | teach thee to serve his children gladly with a pure and gentle love |
| longing | take thee home at last to ever dwell with him above |
Sister Rowley was also inspired in writing this hymn by the following passage from the Book of Mormon:
If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
Ether 12:27
Why is humility a prerequisite for these blessings? Maybe it’s because this kind of gift must be willingly received. God can provide guidance, but we only benefit if we choose to follow it. He can teach us, but only if we’re willing to learn. He can give us grace, but we have to let it in.
Today, I will strive to be more humble in my discipleship. I will remember that God leads, answers, blesses, teaches, and receives all who humbly follow Him.
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