Lord, Teach Me to Pray

A friend asked me recently, “Do you think God gets tired of hearing us pray about the same things over and over?” She is praying for someone she loves to find salvation in Jesus Christ.

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said, ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ And then the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’” Luke 18:1-8

I wonder… what does faith have to do with justice? Sometimes persistence is a good thing. This widow was looking for justice and God is always interested in justice. Unlike the judge in the story, God does not bring about justice just to get rid of our whining. He does not bring justice just to demonstrate his power and authority, though he has both. God responds out of love and compassion for those who trust him and his desire is that we would also respond out of love and compassion to bring justice to those around us who have been wronged. He is not asking an out-of-place question about whether there will be faith on the earth when the Son of Man comes. Our behavior comes out of our faith. If we truly believe we are forgiven (not because we deserve it, but because God loves us) then we will respond with forgiveness to those around us – even when they don’t deserve it! “Forgive us our sins even as we forgive those who sin against us.” Luke 11:4

Jesus told another story about two men praying. One was self-confident and self-righteous. His prayer went like this. “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.” The second man, a tax collector couldn’t even look up. He said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” And Jesus said, “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.” Luke 18:9-14

It makes me smile to remember some people I know who will often degrade themselves in order to hear others tell them how wonderful they are. I’m not sure this is what Jesus is after here. But in a twisted way, it demonstrates the principle.

When I get serious about this, I wonder how often I come to God assured of my own goodness and failing to realize that even my best is way far from God’s good. I don’t think that God wants us to drag around beating ourselves and telling everyone who will listen how much of a failure we are at life. But I wonder if understanding how far short I fall of God’s best and reminding myself that it is his grace alone that saves me keeps me more humble and makes me a better servant, offering more grace and forgiveness to those around me because I know that I didn’t get what I deserved – death – but rather, I have received what God has given – grace that leads to life.

Those who truly understand their ‘lostness’ without Christ see those around them with a different heart. One pastor put it this way. If the object is to get to the moon, there isn’t much difference between jumping 3 inches or jumping 3 feet. Neither get very close to the moon. The self-righteous might be jumping 3 feet, but they are not much closer to God on their own than the tax collector jumping 3 inches. It is in the humble stance before God that we understand that our only salvation is through his mercy demonstrated to us through Jesus Christ. And it is out of gratefulness for that mercy that we extend mercy to others.

In showing mercy to others, we begin to demonstrate God’s character to others around us and when they see that reflection of God, they begin to develop a desire for the real thing and begin to seek after the one true living God.

Lord, keep teaching me to pray, not as a pompous fool, but as a humble servant. Open my eyes to the injustices around me and help me to see ways I can show mercy to others, just as you have shown mercy to me.