“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.” Thus, Jesus begins one of his best-known parables. It is known for his sharp criticism of the self-righteous Pharisee, and his justification of the sinner.
I want to talk about
that. But, first, let’s talk about what they went to the temple to do. That’s a
vital part of the story. They went to pray!
What does that mean?
What is prayer?
The root meaning of prayer
is “to make a request.” It is to ask for something. Whatever else we might say
to God, we have not yet prayed until we have asked him to give us something,
When the disciples
asked Jesus how to pray, He answered by giving them seven things that they
should ask for. Collectively, we call these seven petitions the Lord’s Prayer
(Matthew 6:9-15).
That’s hugely
important. While God wants you to thank him for his gifts and to express your
thoughts and concerns, what he wants above all is for you to pray. “Ask, and
you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).
God wants you to ask
for godly things. So, that’s where the devil attacks.
Satan may tell you that
God doesn’t exist. This is the lie that keeps most of the world from praying.
The devil may paint God
as aloof and uncaring. This is another lie that discourages people from prayer.
But among those who
already believe that God is good and gracious, Satan’s favorite deception is
that you already have all that you need. He uses this lie to keep you from
actually asking for anything.
That is the ruse that
kept the Pharisee from praying for anything. “God, I thank you that I am not
like other men.” Blah. Blah. Blah. But he never got around to asking for
anything. And by that devilish omission, he proved his unbelief.
Suddenly, “thoughts and
prayers” has become a hot topic. That’s great! Because like the pharisee and
the publican, prayer separates the men from the boys—the sons of God from the
sons of disobedience.
Of course you will want
to defend the power of prayer. But once you have stood up to be counted with
the sons of God, don’t just stand there, pray!
You should start like
the publican started: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” He will have mercy on
you—not because you deserve mercy more than others or because you are any less
of a sinner than others.
He will have mercy and
forgive your sins because Jesus has earned mercy for you. By His suffering and
death, he takes away the sin of the world.
And once God has had
mercy on you by taking away your sins, he invites you to pray for many other
impossibly difficult things.
- Pray that your friend
or neighbor who is captivated by Satan’s lies might be set free and come to
believe in the one true God. Pray for the one on the evening news who hates God,
who blasphemes—who even kills those who believe in Jesus.
- Pray that people in
positions of government power might make decisions that harmonize with God’s
will and do not defy the Creator of heaven and earth. Pray that believers might
be elected to public offices throughout our land. And pray that the Christians
already elected might do their jobs guided by God’s holy Scripture.
- Pray that the
unspeakably evil powers of hell might be held at bay. Jesus has always warned
us how deep is the corruption and how deadly is the evil that seethes just
below the surface. Now that you can see it on the evening news, don’t be
surprised.
Rather, now that the
serpent has come out of hiding, do what Jesus has always exhorted you to do.
Pray without ceasing. God has put you here in the world to make a difference.
And your greatest power is not to scream at the television, but to pray to God.
You are the salt that
preserves this evil world from the rot that would overtake it. And your
saltiness is most effective when you pray for those whom you meet. “The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).
Pray
at church with the body of Christ. Pray at home with your family. Pray in your
closet and in your car. “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full”
(John 16:24).
