260 - Several Lessons on Prayer
- Gwen Diaz
- Sep 17, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 8
SEPTEMBER 17- Nº 260 Luke 18:1-14
By allowing Lazarus to die--and then bringing him back to life (see #258 - September 15 and #259 - September 16), Jesus taught His disciples (and us) several lessons about prayer. He demonstrated that not all of God’s answers will make sense at first, but they will always result in what is best!
These events also illustrated that nothing we could possibly request is too hard for God to answer!
But there were other lessons that Jesus wanted the disciples to learn about prayer before he left this earth. And, as he had so many times before, he chose to use parables to get them across.
The first parable was about a judge. This judge was not a good man. He did not worship God, and he really didn’t care about the people he served. He especially didn't like a certain widow who kept bringing the same plea into his courtroom. Day after day she begged for justice concerning an abuse she had suffered. The judge kept refusing to hear her case. But she kept coming back; every day; again and again!
Finally, the judge said, “I don’t really care what happens to this woman, but because she keeps bothering me, I will give her the justice she is demanding. Then maybe she will leave me alone.”
Jesus told his disciples, “You should go to God in prayer with the same determination as that widow. But you have a huge advantage. The judge did not care about that woman. God loves you and He wants to help you. He will never send you away, and He will always grant you justice.”
Jesus did not want his disciples to become discouraged when God’s answers seemed delayed. By telling the parable of the widow, he had pointed out how persistent people could be in earthly matters. Shouldn't they be just as persistent, if not more so, in things that counted for eternity? Their persistence would not necessarily change God's answer, but it would change their hearts as they learned to communicate with Him and rely on Him.
Jesus also wanted his followers to be humble when they prayed. He did not want them to use prayer as a way to elevate themselves. So, he told another parable contrasting two men who went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood in a prominent place as he prayed, and his prayer was all about himself. “God,” he prayed, “I thank you that I am not like other men who are robbers, adulterers, and sinners. I’m especially glad that I am not like that tax collector over there! I fast twice a week and give a tenth of everything I earn to the Temple.”
The tax collector, on the other hand, stood away from everyone. He would not even look up to heaven. Instead, he beat his hand against his chest in shame and said, “God, have mercy on me because I am a sinner.”
Jesus concluded the story by saying, “Only one of those men went home justified." Then, just in case they didn't get it, he added, "It was the tax collector!”
Jesus went on to say, “God will humble those who exalt themselves, but He will exalt those who humble themselves.”
Too often, when we pray, we are like little kids who knock on someone’s front door then run away. By the time God opens the door, we are no longer there to receive the blessings He has for us.
Other times we try to justify ourselves before a God Who already knows everything about us.
God wants our prayers to be simple, persistent, and humble.
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