Humility

“Humility,” in essence is a song with two cries. Trust and repentance. During the time I wrote it, I was battling the loss of many anchors in my life. Quitting jobs, losing close friends, embarking on a brand new tour… It felt like someone took a puzzle and threw all the pieces up in the air. And I, trying frantically to piece it back together, began to worry about my future. I wondered if I would be provided for. I questioned God’s hand on my life. I was so afraid. These doubts spun in my mind and soul, throwing me off balance and causing me to distrust God and myself. But I began to think that day, about humans and about nature… I thought about how capable humans were - able to create cities, make art, design technology, build civilizations and cultures. I thought about how man ruled the earth, how we were able to understand and conquer our planet, creating amazing things from it. And then, I thought of nature and how nature trumps mankind in this one thing - its ability to be. No tree has ever doubted its purpose, and no river has ever doubted its path, and no mountain has ever complained of its geography. We, as humans, are so powerful… we are masters of our land, architects and pioneers of the unknown… but one thing we have yet to conquer is the ability to live without striving. This comparison was such a massive revelation for me personally that the words just flowed onto the page. It was a prayer that I needed for myself. I say that this song is a cry for both trust and repentance. For me, it was coming back to God with the realization that I, too, am a part of a grand design. That, just like the trees and the oceans, rivers and mountains, I am in the right place at the right time. It was me saying to the Lord, “If you take care of all this beauty around me, you will surely take care of me. I have no need to worry.” When things get difficult in my life I like to stray. The natural reaction of my spirit when I get disappointed is to find the next best thing. When God doesn’t feel real, I run to substitutes. The writing of this song was my admittance of my wandering and doubt, and a prayer for God to teach me the simple trust that all of nature seems to embody. (Andrew Huang)

HUMILITY
Written by Andrew Huang (BMI)
© 2018 Common Hymnal Digital (BMI), TBC (BMI) (admin by IntegratedRights.com). CCLI 7138448.

VERSE 1
Jesus, you’re my heart’s first love
And you’ve been holding onto me
You once were the air I breathed
Still my heart to remember

VERSE 2
Jesus, I am wandering
But you’re chasing after me
You once gave your life to me
Still my soul to remember

CHORUS
Your oceans wave without thinking
Your mountains rise without knowing
Your rivers run without needing
To know where they are going
Your lilies spinning so free, oh they’re happy to be
Teach me this kind of humility
Teach me this kind of humility

VERSE 3
Jesus, I am struggling
I am struggling to see
I’m doubting your provision
Still my mind to remember

BRIDGE
That Jesus, you’re my hearts first love
And your leading me home
Through the fire and the flood
To the place where I belong
Still my soul to remember