Two Prayer

The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: 'God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' - Luke 18:11-13

Here we have two kinds of prayer set side by side for our instruction. The first really is no prayer at all; it is only a bit of self-praising in the presence of God. According to his own words the Pharisee was better than certain other men, but he never thought of comparing himself with God, the only true thing to do.

This Pharisee has many followers. Many people's self-worth is rooted in their view that they are not as bad as some other people. The dishonest man soothes his conscience with the reflection that he is not a drunk. The lying man is thankful that he pays his debts. The gossiping woman finds great comfort in the fact that she is not a heathen like her neighbor, who never goes to church at all. But it is a poor kind of virtue which has nothing better to build on than such imperfect relative goodness. One may be clear of a great many ugly faults that his neighbors have, and yet not be a saint himself.

The other man's prayer was completely different. There was comparing himself with other men to see whether he or they were the worse. There was no going over sins he had not committed. He said nothing about his neighbor's sins, but was very honest in speaking about his own sins. He stood before God burdened with the consciousness of his own personal guilt, and cried to God for mercy -- mercy wholly undeserved, to be granted only through grace. It is very obvious which was the true and acceptable prayer. It is the humble persons prayer that reaches heaven. God wants honesty in our requests of Him. He wants humility. It is not enough to be worried about other people's sins -- the sinner with whose sins we ought to be most concerned about is our own.

http://www.thevine.co.nz