Improved Praying
“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!'”
Luke 18:13
I want to learn how to pray better… What about you?
If you want to learn about something. You go to the expert.
Wouldn’t you agree that Jesus is the expert on prayer?
In the parable recorded in Luke 18, Jesus is contrasting two individuals prayers.
First up is the Pharisee, the religious guy. He’s received religious training. He should KNOW how to pray. But, Jesus said the Pharisee was basically talking to himself.
“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.”
We find his prayer ludicrous, thinking we would never pray like that.
But, am I thinking something like that in my mind? Are my prayers only centered on me?
We’ve talked about 2 Chronicles 7:14 before. “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
In the verse today, the tax collector is humbling himself, praying, repenting of his sins, and seeking God’s face.
He’s doing prayer the right way: FROM THE HEART!
His prayer is:
Short
Specific
Sincere
