Ability with Humility

Jason and I have been doing a lot of thinking about you, worship vocalist. About why you’re here. And why we’re here. 

Most of you are here (using our vocal resources) because you want to sing better. You may or may not sing on a worship team or in a ministry context—but in any case, you love to sing worship songs and you want to sound better and feel more confident when you sing. 

And we want that for you—that’s why we’re here. That’s why we started this online platform. Because in our own experience, and in rubbing shoulders with many other worship vocalists, we’ve found that so many of our struggles are the same. We have a hard time hitting high notes, or low notes, or both. Our voice wobbles or cracks sometimes. We sound better in our practice time than when we pick up a microphone. Our voice feels fatigued after singing. We don’t (necessarily) wish we were the best in the world—we just wish we had more ability than we have. 

More ability. That’s why you’re here. And that’s why we’re here—to help! 

Over these past years of teaching, I have seen so many voices transformed. When you decide you really, actually want to improve and change, AND you’re willing to put in the time and effort, AND you have the right tools, big things can happen. When I decided seven years ago that I really, actually wanted to finally lose weight and get healthy after many years of being obese, I did it. I put in the time and effort, and with the right tools, I lost 150 lbs. Praise God! My life has been transformed. 

Vocal exercises, like the ones you learn here at Worship Vocalist, are incredible tools—and partnered with diligence, a singer’s ability has the potential to massively grow. 

But what is becoming more and more unsettling to me as a vocal coach is the major pitfall that can come with having more ability.

Pride.

Proverbs 16:18 is clear that “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

I do believe that we can approach this pursuit of bettering our skills—as in, it is ok to desire and work diligently for more ability—but we MUST come with great humility and the fear of the Lord. 

Ability with humility. This is the only way I can advise you to move forward. 

Urge you, actually!

“I don’t feel pride! I actually feel quite low about myself”, you may say.

But here’s what I know to be true: pursuit of skill in an area like singing comes with great temptation. As we grow in ability, and perhaps leadership as well, the temptation is…

→ To see ourselves more highly than we should.

→ To clutch and grab for time on a platform or a place on a team.

→ To obsess over creating and executing “the perfect set list”. 

→ To feel pride when our voice is chosen for a role or gets complimented.

→ To disrespect authority when we are rejected or a leader makes a decision we don’t agree with. 

→ To feel like we deserve something for our time, effort or talent. 

I for one have done and felt ALL of these things. 

“I earned this.”

“I deserve this.”

“I’ve worked for this.”

“They should have chosen me to sing that.”

“They should have gone with my idea.”

“I sing better than her.”

“I really did sound great today!”

Notice all the “I’s” and “me’s”? Yikes. 

I must be upfront with you—to allow these thoughts space in our hearts can be catastrophic. 

Ability without humility is a recipe for disaster. 

Samson. 

As a Nazirite, Samson’s life was set apart for the Lord, but over and over he broke his vows, becoming prideful and overconfident in his incredible strength. On one occasion, “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it.”

But… instead of giving the Lord glory (note that “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him”!), Samson took the credit: “Then Samson said: ‘With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men’” (Judges 15:14-16 NKJV).

Though he ultimately repented, Samson’s life ended in ruin. 

King Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar was a mighty king of Babylon, famous for his power and great conquests. But, even after being warned of what would happen should he become prideful, Nebuchadnezzar looked out on his kingdom and said, “‘Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?’… That very hour… he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.” (Daniel 4:30, 33 NKJV)

Like Samson, Nebuchadnezzar did ultimately repent, but only after an absolutely humiliating seven years. 

These are just two (of many!) examples of how pride comes before a fall—biblical figures who had great ability, but not humility. 

Thankfully, we also have examples to look to of those who had ability—WITH humility! 

Daniel.

Where we see God humbling Nebuchadnezzar because he exalts himself, we see God exalting Daniel because he exalts God. We know that Daniel was incredibly gifted—he was one of the “young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand.” He was taken captive to serve in the king’s palace because of his education and skill, and “in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined [Daniel and the other young men], he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm” (Daniel 1:4, 20 NKJV).

Ten times better than the best in the land—now that is great ability! In his lifetime, Daniel serves multiple kings—humbly and respectfully, I might add!—and is called upon to (successfully!) interpret dreams and an inscription on the wall that no one else can interpret. BUT… Daniel does not let it go to his head! He continually blesses God and acknowledges that any wisdom he has is all God’s: “For wisdom and might are His… He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding… I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, And have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king’s demand” (Dan. 2:20-21, 23).

Paul. 

In Philippians 3, Paul says, “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I [Paul] have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” 

Though it was the best of the best, Paul’s pedigree means nothing to him. Though his accomplishments are many, he counts them as nothing. This is truly a man who understands that God’s “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9 NIV)! Speaking to the Corinthians, he tells of how when he came to them, he “did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Cor. 2:1-5 NIV).

Let’s be clear—Paul had the ability to use eloquence, human wisdom, and wise and persuasive words, but humbly he bowed himself to the Spirit, for he did not want these people to be wowed by him, but instead, to be wowed by God. 

Over the course of his ministry, Paul continually boasts in God, not in himself, and what’s truly beautiful is that as he matures in ministry and grows in intimacy and knowledge of the Lord, instead of thinking more of himself, he becomes more and more humble—first, calling himself the “least of all the apostles” (1 Cor. 15:9 NIV), then, “less than the least of all the Lord’s people” (Eph. 3:8 NIV), then, the “worst” of all sinners (1 Tim 1:15 NIV). 

The walk of humility is an ever downward climb. But it is unto everything. For by humbling ourselves, we gain Christ! 

All of me for all of Him—what a trade! As John the Baptist said of Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease”(John 3:30 NKJV)—let this be our prayer! 

Jesus. 

How could we look at humility and not look at Jesus? The One “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:6-8 NIV). 

Jesus laid down His will to be obedient to His Father—”not my will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42 NKJV). And though He was one with His Father, He only did what He saw His Father do: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19 NIV). What incredible humility!

As God, Jesus had infinite ability—all power and might and wisdom. But as man, He set His deity aside and became like us. Tired, hungry, weak. A baby. A little boy who, like all of us as children, had to grow “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52 NIV). This wasn’t automatic—Jesus relied on the power of the Holy Spirit to make good choices and to live without sin. Which means—we can too. 

We can live in the power of the Spirit and make good choices. We can be free from the yoke of slavery to sin and selfishness. We can accept the invitation from Jesus in Matthew 11:29: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” 

We can be free from the striving. The competing. The performance. Free from trying to find our value in anything but the fact that we are children of God. By choosing a humble, servant-hearted walk—washing others’ feet and giving up every right to any position here on earth, as Jesus did—we can live in the grace of God, for we must take Him at His Word: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6 NKJV). 

---

“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” 

— Matthew 23:12 NIV

---

“Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.”

— 1 Peter 5:6 NLT

---

So what does this look like—ability with humility? 

It looks like getting our eyes off of ourselves and onto Jesus. This takes intention in a world that encourages catering to our own comfort and needs! 

It looks like eating the daily bread of the Word of God and trusting in the slow, steady drip of transformation that will happen as we submit to His Lordship and leadership in our lives. 

It looks like loving and preferring others. Pouring into other worshippers and worship team members. Building them up, never tearing them down.

It looks like respecting and honoring our leaders, even if they make decisions that we don’t prefer. 

It looks like taking every bit of glory and accolades we receive and giving it all back to God, who gives us all things and holds our every cell and breath together by the Word of His power. 

It looks like asking our Creator how He sees us and asking Him to help us see ourselves rightly. 

When we choose to walk in Christ’s humility, we don’t get puffed up about ourselves, but we also don’t put ourselves down—that actually keeps our eyes on ourselves!

Ability with humility—it is possible, but let me be clear: we cannot do ANY of this on our own. We cannot grow in ability on our own. We need God for every breath and move we make. And we cannot grow in humility on our own. It is a work of the Spirit in our lives. 

So today, invite Him to have His way in you. Ask Him to keep you on the narrow, humble path. Accept Jesus’ invitation to learn His gentle and humble way. Implore Him to not let you be deceived and prideful. The very nature of deception is that we don’t know when we are deceived—this is why we must continually ask the Lord to search our hearts and see if there is any wicked way in us (Psalm 139:24)!

He hears our every prayer, and He loves to answer. 

Blessings, worship vocalists!