SPEAKING OF PRAYER Meridian Minute no. 20
“Two men went...to pray. ...
The Pharisee stood and was praying this... ‘God, I thank You that I am not like
other people: swindlers, unjust adulterers or even like this tax collector. I
fast twice a week...’ but the tax collector standing some distance away, was
even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast,
saying, ‘God be merciful to me, the
sinner!’” Luke 18:11, 12 NIV
Prayer. What is
prayer? For the people of faith, prayer is the game changer, the
life-blood, the MO, the power. The way we get God’s attention to gain audience with him. God
tells us to pray and that our prayers are of value to him. We would not get far
without prayer, nor would we want to. Do you believe in miracles? Prayer is
asking for miracles in the everyday and the wished-for. It is activated through faith that views
prayer as a gateway to heaven, God, by means of supplication.
There are prayers
and then there is praying. Scripted prayers are formal in nature. Simple ordinary
prayers are spoken in random phrases. Not all prayers are alike. What does God
look at when we pray? How are our prayers received? We get a glimpse into the heart of the matter in the passage of the pharisee and publican (tax collector). The pharisee prayed a
prayer filled with pious words and self-congratulation on his whiteness and
purity of behavior. The penitent tax collector, on the other hand, spoke from a
humbled attitude, aware of his unworthy state. Both spoke from their hearts.
Their words fully exposed the truth found within their souls.
The pharisee spoke
with an attitude of pride or arrogance. Self-righteous glorying is a falsity,
a show of religion and, in reality, empty words and vain glory. The tax
collector’s heart reveals a different sort of attitude. He is truthful, honest
about his failures. Admitting his shame, taking ownership of the true state of
affairs within himself, speaking out of his brokenness. He is in need of mercy
from God. One person’s was for show, prideful, and the other person’s was
sincere, repentant. Each one's motivation is obvious.
In
Christendom, we find traces of both types of prayers and many in between. Some
prayers are requests. Others are desires. Most have an expectant action. When
God pulls off a miracle, another type of
prayer comes as a result. Praises in worship are prayers that honor God from
a heart of thankfulness. There is another kind of prayer that originates from deep inside, voiced more
as a plea for help than as a worshipful interlude. During suffering and sorrow,
desperate and despairing people pray with great passion. Pretense is left
behind. God becomes especially real during the difficulty. All the external
conditions of life mean little as we pour our heart and soul out to God. Seeking him to meet us during the crisis of faith.
I have experienced
God’s tender graces during heart-wrenching times. It is when I pray my most unaffected prayers as I seek God for hope, help, and answers. “God be merciful to
me, the sinner,” is asking God to extend grace even though it is undeserved.
That is honest talk. Prayer, when it is that way, is stripped away of all fluff
and pontificating. It is raw, open, contrite, pleasing to the heart of God. The Scripture
passage says that the tax collector went away justified. God listened to his prayer
and acted in response to this plea. It was a miracle of grace. Prayers of a
humble person seek audience with God, and, in so doing, touch the heart of God.
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#God, #prayer #spiritual
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