Go Down to My House Justified

While Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He did not neglect His detractors, who also needed to learn valuable lessons about proper prayer. He directed the following parable specifically to "certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others."

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
--Luke 18:10-14

The Pharisee prayed "with himself". It was almost like he was praying to himself. His prayer was meant to justify and satisfy himself, congratulating himself on his outstanding obedience. The tax collector, on the other hand, was well aware of his faults and sought mercy. 

The Pharisee asked for nothing, assuming his righteousness made him self-sufficient, while the publican pleaded in his humility for God to lift his insufficiency. The only real difference between the worthiness of the two men was the public knowledge of their sins. Each was a sinner in his own right. It was just that the publican's sins were easier to see. The Pharisee hid his sins beneath his robes of piety.

Jesus concluded that the pitiful publican was justified while the haughty Pharisee was not. To be justified in the gospel sense is to have Christ's atonement applied to us, to remove our sins and receive forgiveness. Both men needed forgiveness, but only the publican acknowledged his need and asked for the desired blessing, which was granted him. The Pharisee's pride, on the other hand, blinded him to the very sin for which he most needed justification--pride. His boastful prayer was of no value to him because it availed him nothing. He asked nothing and received nothing in return.

Setting aside the false good of which the Pharisee boasted, how much true good might the Pharisee have been able to do if he had seen himself in the true light? How much better can I become if I allow God to show me who I truly am, faults and weaknesses not withstanding, and then ask for His forgiveness and for the strength to try again?

Move a Mountain with Prayer

Jesus had made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem amid shouts of Hosanna (literally, "save now") and had once again cleared the temple of the merchants and moneychangers. He spent that night in nearby Bethany, and on the second day of the last week of His life, He and the disciples made their way back to Jerusalem. As they trod the path to the city, Jesus encouraged the disciples to pray with faith and promised that whatever they asked for in faith, they would receive. He then offered this additional counsel:

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
-- Mark 11:25

Forgiving others, including ourselves, is a key to effective prayer. If we harbor ill feelings against others, it is like throwing a wet blanket on our prayers. It smothers them as it buries us under a mountain of negativity and bitterness. God cannot engage with us unless He forgives us, and He will not forgive us if we do not forgive others. 

Forgiveness is not an easy act. When we have been wronged or hurt, it is hard to forgive the perpetrator; but when the wrong or hurt has been done to someone we love, forgiveness can be nearly impossible. It may very well be the work of a lifetime to come to genuine forgiveness for those who have deeply hurt us and our loved ones. 

The natural man in each of us hates forgiveness. He wants revenge, and if he can't have it, he loves the poison of unrequited offense. He gleefully wallows in the mire of spite, anger, and a deserved grudge. He relishes a good feud that can be passed around and bequeathed to our children and their children. 

Our challenge is to overcome the natural man, so the spiritual child in each of us can have room to grow. If forgiveness does not come easily, do not despair. Pray to God to forgive your unforgiving heart and ask in sincerity for the gift of forgiveness toward others. 

As Jesus promised, "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:23-24). The mountain you may need to move may be labeled "bitterness, resentment, grievance, hard feelings," but Jesus promised you can move it, and He is willing to help. 

I Am a Pharisee of Prayer

Jesus loves every human being who has ever lived or will yet live on the earth. He paid for the sins of every single individual, including yours and mine. Therefore, I believe He loved every scribe and Pharisee. He had nothing good to say, however, about the things the scribes and Pharisees did, particularly in the name of religion. An entire chapter in the book of Matthew in the New Testament records Jesus's diatribe against the practices of the religious leaders in His day. Among the woes He pronounced is this statement: 

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
--Matthew 23:14

It is not the length of our prayers that matter but the intent and the genuineness of our communications with God. Long or short, a prayer for show -- not to speak to God but to impress the people around us -- is hypocrisy and unacceptable to God. Our Father hears every prayer, but with some prayer He is not well pleased.

I confess I struggle when I am called upon to offer a public prayer in a church meeting. Because of my nature, I instantly fret about how well my prayer will be accepted by the people listening. I want to come up with something that reflects the topic of the meeting or the concerns of those who will hear my prayer. 

I require great concentration and a fair amount of inner coercion to talk myself off that ledge of self-consciousness and fear and to prayer from my heart instead of from my head -- to pray to God for the people instead of to the people. 

Sadly, I sometimes think I am a Pharisee at heart. :-( When I calm my inner thoughts enough to hear the Holy Spirit, I can offer a sincere prayer. I admit, however, that most of the time I fail. I am grateful for forgiveness. 

Closer

In the greatest sermon ever taught, Jesus included this injunction to His disciples: 

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
--Matthew 5:44

Jesus, the perfect Man, exemplified this commandment when He prayed for forgiveness for His crucifiers. "And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:33-34). Jesus gave no commandment to His followers that He Himself was not willing and able to keep.

Praying for others is not mysterious. Whether we pray for loved ones, strangers, or even enemies, such prayers sanctify us. They draw us closer to God and to those for whom we pray. Our prayers for our enemies do not change God's heart or even our enemies' hearts, but they change our hearts. God can show us especially our enemies through His eyes and free us from fear and acrimony. The more we learn to pray for others in faith and love, the closer we become to the Savior.

Essential

The kingdom of Judah was in dire trouble in the days of the prophet Joel. Severe drought and a plague of locusts threatened to wipe the people out. As the Lord's mouthpiece in this time of emergency, Joel delivered the message of repentance and assured the people of God's blessing. He summarized his call to repentance with these comforting words:

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

-Joel 2:32

Prayer is essential to deliverance from sin for salvation. Prayer reminds us of our constant reliance on God and our Savior. It draws us to the source of our deliverance and refreshes our hope of rescue. On those days when we feel buried by our trials, it reminds us of both our Advocate and our true Judge. And on those days when we think we have the world by the tail, it reminds us from whom our blessings come and the source of our comfort.

God Waits

I want to be hopeful and helpful in what I write, but I need to be honest, too. I often feel far from the Lord. The heavens are like brass more often than I care to admit. I wonder what's wrong, and this scripture comes to mind:

 The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
-- Proverbs 15:29

I believe God does not love His disobedient children less, but He is far from them because they have removed themselves from Him. He is always in the same place. Our nearness to Him is our choice and our decision, not His. He is ever available and willing to listen. 

So what is wrong? He does not hear the prayers of the wicked because they do not pray. I am guilty and wicked when I say prayers but do not pray. I speak, but I do not listen for an answer. I am in a hurry when the Lord wants to take His time. 

I also believe, however, in the very moment that a disobedient, wayward, prodigal child turns to the Father in sincerity and genuine humility, he is righteous in that moment, and God hears his prayer. God is merciful and forgives over and over again. Perhaps because He is so full of patience and long-suffering, He wants me to learn a little patience, too. So, He waits for me to come to myself, like the prodigal son that I am, and then come to Him. Oh, how grateful I am that He never wearies and never gives up. I'm grateful God waits.