Praying in Weakness – March 26, The Sixth Friday of Lent

Luke 18:9-14 NIV

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

We’ve already read through this passage once during Lent (here) but I read something today that brought my heart back to this passage that I thought would be worth sharing and thinking about.  Not only does this passage teach us about humility in life, but it also teaches us something very valuable about prayer.  Today I read this:

I often tell people who say they are struggling with prayer to quit trying to pray like a Pharisee and learn to pray like a [tax collector]. We often want to pray from strength – to approach God when we at least feel spiritually alive. The [tax collector] refuses to lift his eyes to heaven. The contradiction of his life and the goodness of God are more than he can bear. And yet he prays. And, ironically, it is he who goes down to his house justified rather than the Pharisee.

As I pondered this statement I realized the truth that it contained.  So often I keep myself from praying because I don’t feel holy enough to pray.  Sometimes I don’t allow myself to pray or to read the scriptures because it seems as if my heart is not fully committed and longing for God.  Why is it that I feel as if I can and should only pray when I am right with God or when I’m in the mood to pray.

It seems to me that the times I need to pray the most are the times that I am hesitant to pray.  Am I only willing to pray when I feel strong and competent before God?  Am I only willing to pray when I feel worthy enough and holy enough to approach God.  If this is what is in my heart then am I really any different from the Pharisee?  Sadly I am, indeed, just like the Pharisee if this is my attitude.

We need to break this attitude as it creeps into our lives.  We need to be people who learn to pray in all circumstances…especially when we feel weak and undeserving.  What the tax collector teaches us is that we can humbly approach God at all times.  Even in our weakest moments, when life is overwhelming, and we don’t feel as if we even deserve to pray we can and should approach God.

We need to realize that God is with us when we are down, when we are overwhelmed, and when we feel as if we can’t approach him.  His love for us continues on even when we don’t feel it and when we don’t feel like we can approach him.  It is during these times that we must humble ourselves like the tax collector and pray.  Even if our prayers don’t seem like “good ones,” if we stumble over words, or if we don’t have the words to pray God is still there, he hears us and he will answer us.

So what about you?  Do you only pray when you feel strong?  Do you allow your weaknesses and shortcomings keep you from approaching God?  Are you like the Pharisee – only willing to pray from your strength or will you be like the  tax collector and pray despite your weakness.  After all it was the tax collector that went home justified before God.

Let us continue to learn to pray during this Lenten season.  As our fasting and our reading reveals our weaknesses let us not be fearful of approaching God, but let us approach him all the more for his mercy is great and he loves us dearly!

Closing Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a Sinner!