But dust and ashes

“Nevertheless as coming the tokens, behold, the days shall come, that they which dwell upon earth shall be taken in a great number, and the way of truth shall be hidden, and the land shall be barren of faith. But iniquity shall be increased above that which you now see, or that you have heard long ago. And the land, that you now see to have root, you shall see wasted suddenly. But if the most High grant you to live, you shall see after the third trumpet that the sun shall suddenly shine again in the night, and the moon thrice in the day: And blood shall drop out of wood, and the stone shall give his voice, and the people shall be troubled: And even he shall rule, whom they look not for that dwell upon the earth, and the fowls shall take their flight away together: And the Dead Sea shall cast out fish, and make a noise in the night, which many have not known: but they shall all hear the voice thereof. There shall be a confusion also in many places, and the fire shall be oft sent out again, and the wild beasts shall change their places, and menstruous women shall bring forth monsters: And salt waters shall be found in the sweet, and all friends shall destroy one another; then shall wit hide itself, and understanding withdraw itself into his secret chamber, And shall be sought of many, and yet not be found: then shall unrighteousness and incontinency be multiplied upon earth. One land also shall ask another, and say, ‘Is righteousness that makes a man righteous gone through you?’ And it shall say, ‘No.’ At the same time shall men hope, but nothing obtain: they shall labour, but their ways shall not prosper. To show you such tokens I have permission; and if you will pray again, and weep as now, and fast even days, you shall hear yet greater things.”
2 Esdras 5:1-13 (Apocrypha)

And the angel took me along the road in my dream, and there on the side of the road was a little pile of muck, of mud mixed with ashes, and I asked, "What is that?" And the angel answering, replied, "That is the true appearance of one who calls himself Romanos, who is planted like dung on the side of the road." At his saying of those words, I awoke with the plea on my lips, "Lord, forgive me, for I am but dust and ashes."

I remembered, and I went to find this prayer in my bible.
It was at Genesis 18:27.

Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord…

And I remembered my dream, and I saw the reality: without the Lord, I am nothing, and less than nothing, but as He breathed life into the clay image He had fashioned and brought forth Adam, so has He in His mercy brought me forth, and that is not to be despised.
And I read on.

Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”

And I realised, if His mercy has been granted to me, who am but dust and ashes, for what purpose was His mercy granted, if not for me to intercede for sinners, to ask for the mercy He showed me to be shown them, which is no more than "the law and the prophets," as the Lord has spoken.

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 20:36-40