September 23

Two Prayers

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ — Luke 18:11,13 BSB

Here we have two prayers set side by side for our instruction. The first one, offered by the Pharisee, is not really a prayer at all. It’s more like a self-congratulatory speech made in the presence of God. He’s pleased with himself for being better than others, but his focus is all wrong—he compares himself to other men instead of comparing himself to God.

This kind of prayer is still common today. Many people base their sense of righteousness on the fact that they aren’t as bad as others. The dishonest person comforts himself by thinking he’s at least sober. The one who gossips takes pride in paying their debts. But this is a poor foundation for piety. One can avoid many vices that others fall into and still not be a saint.

In contrast, the tax collector’s prayer is simple and honest. He doesn’t compare himself to others or list the sins he hasn’t committed. Instead, he stands before God fully aware of his own guilt and pleads for mercy—mercy he knows he doesn’t deserve. It’s clear which prayer was acceptable to God. God desires honesty and humility in our prayers. It’s not enough to be concerned about the sins of others. The sinner whose sins should be of greatest concern is ourselves.