To Encourage You

Luke 18:13-14 “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified.”

The fact that the Creator of the universe actually listens to us when we pray is a wonderful thing.  He has urged us to pray to Him throughout His Word. He assures us that He hears us with such statements as “He who planted the ear, does he not hear?” (Psalm 94:9).  However, that does not mean that all prayers are equally effective or even welcomed by Him. There are wrong ways to pray. There are ways that people pray that don’t please God.  So, how can we know the right way to pray?  What does God tell us about this?

The 12 apostles struggled with this same question, as they came to Jesus with the request, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).  It was at that point that Jesus replied “When you pray, say” which was then followed by what has come to be known as the Lord’s prayer.  With these words Jesus gave us a pattern that we can use when we approach the Father. It’s a pattern of prayer we can be confident pleases and brings glory to Him. 

But there are other things God has given us in His Word for additional help along these lines. Throughout His Word He has given us examples of the prayers of godly men and women that we can follow as our own examples.  Some of these individuals are named, like Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the apostle Paul.  Others were the prayers of unnamed individuals whose prayers God lifts up as wonderful examples.  One such example is found in the verses above. Here we see a prayer of just seven words that Jesus commended.  By this we see that prayers do not have to be lengthy for God to be pleased with them.  But more importantly, the prayer above is a prayer of a person who calls himself a “sinner” who, by the content of his prayer and attitude of his heart, is welcomed into the kingdom of God. It’s a powerful prayer that God rewarded with the gift of justification.  That word means “to declare to be righteous or just.”  It’s what God does in what some have called “the great exchange”: “For our sake he made him (i.e., Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

So, what was it about this seven-word prayer that elicited such a response from Almighty God?  Well, for one, it was addressed to the true God.  Many Jews of that day prayed all the time to “God,” but because they rejected Jesus, they showed that they didn’t really know God. In fact, Jesus said of them, “You’re of your Father the devil” (John 8:44).  They missed the mark completely. Conversely, the tax collector was praying to “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:3). That’s the only God there really is, and to pray to any other idea of “God” is an exercise in futility. 

Another thing about the tax collector is that he acknowledged that he was a sinner. That’s a prerequisite for the prayer of anyone to be heard. We have to admit that we are sinners in need of God’s grace. It expresses an attitude of humility and sincerity rather than pride and hypocrisy, two things that God hates.

One other thing: the tax collector’s prayer was personal. He knew that he, personally, needed mercy. He didn’t just think in abstract terms about God being merciful as one of His attributes.  He acknowledged that he fell far short of the glory of God. He admitted that he was a sinner in need of grace.  As a result, he cried out pleading for the Lord to be merciful to him.

So, if you are an unbeliever and God has been speaking to your heart about your need for forgiveness, for cleansing from sin, and for the hope that only God can give, know that the prayer of the tax collector is one that you can pray, and God will hear you.  Not only that, He will justify you. He will wipe your slate clean. He will cast your sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and bury them in the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). He will declare you to be as righteous as His own Son (what an incredible thought), and give you the matchless gift of eternal life. 

Seven words: such a simple prayer, yet such a powerful prayer. It’s a prayer that God yearns to hear from our lips and it’s a prayer that He promises to answer.