It is thought provocative to me... How do we pray? Do we pray like we are superior to others? Do we pray like we hold the truth? Do we pray like the Pharisee, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ (Luke 18: 11-12) Do we pray standing in the corners, for everyone to see how pious we are? (Matthew 6:5) Or do we pray like the tax collector? 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ (Luke 18:13)
The Pharisee is quick to point out everything he does right - and everything wrong he doesn't do. The Tax Collector (also known as the Publican) just asks God for mercy, for he recognizes that he is not perfect.
And do we pray sincerely? Do we pray humbly? Do we recognize that we are not perfect and that we make mistakes? Do we pray in our room, with doors closed? (Matthew 6:5)
Do we pray with honest intention?
It doesn't matter much if we pray all day when we are not sincere in our hearts. When we pray for someone to have ill luck because we're angry, for example, it's time to evaluate what kind of intentions we have in our hearts. It's okay to be angry with God. I think it's part of every relationship to have angry moments. But it's not okay to have ill intentions in our prayers.
The Pharisee is quick to point out everything he does right - and everything wrong he doesn't do. The Tax Collector (also known as the Publican) just asks God for mercy, for he recognizes that he is not perfect.
And do we pray sincerely? Do we pray humbly? Do we recognize that we are not perfect and that we make mistakes? Do we pray in our room, with doors closed? (Matthew 6:5)
Do we pray with honest intention?
It doesn't matter much if we pray all day when we are not sincere in our hearts. When we pray for someone to have ill luck because we're angry, for example, it's time to evaluate what kind of intentions we have in our hearts. It's okay to be angry with God. I think it's part of every relationship to have angry moments. But it's not okay to have ill intentions in our prayers.
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