Jump Start # 3453

Luke 18:1 “Now he was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,”

  We continue our thoughts about prayer. In Luke 18, Jesus tells two parables about prayer. The first parable, which is commonly called the persistent widow, is about staying with prayer and not giving up. The second story, about the two men in the temple praying, shows the importance of humbleness and heart in our prayers.

Our verse today sets forth the principle that Jesus wants us to carry through in our lives, “at all times they ought to pray.” All times. In good times and in hard times. When it is easy and when it is not. When there is so much to pray about and when the list seems rather short. Even when we look forward to praying and when we don’t feel like praying. Pray when there is health in your body and pray when that health is failing. Pray when you have money in your pocket and pray when you are not sure how you are going to pay the bills. Pray when the kids are doing well and pray when the kids are not doing well. Pray for self. Pray for others.

That “all times,” simply means, all times. In Thessalonians we find, “in everything give thanks.” That’s equally as hard to do as “in all times.” It’s easy to give thanks for blessings. It’s hard to give thanks for trials.

There are some lessons that we ought to learn from praying at all times.

First, as the passage bears out, when we aren’t praying, we lose heart. That expression “lose heart,” means to be discouraged. The problems overwhelm us. We run out of options and open doors. Things look bad and we begin to feel bad. “Have you prayed about it, “ is a great reminder when we worry, doubt and become discouraged. Have we? We have thought about the problem. We have fretted over the problem. We have likely told others about the problem. But have we taken it to the Lord in prayer?

The more we cast it to Heaven, the less we carry ourselves. Problems become lighter when God is carrying them. Losing heart is just a step before giving up. And, people do that. They quit jobs. They quit marriages. They quit church. They quit life. And, the running thread connecting all of those is discouragement. It may be expectations and realty didn’t match. It could be that people let us down by promising things that they did not deliver on. But, losing heart and the failure to pray much too often are felt at the same time.

Second, when one prays, one no longer feels alone nor do they feel that they have to find all the answers. God is there. God helps. God knows. But, when one loses heart, he feels all alone and abandoned. No one understands. No one cares. No one comes. That’s the three verse song of discouragement.

Third, the “at all times” expression reminds us to be thankful when God has helped us. We have prayed. A problem was worked through. The sun shines again in our lives. If not careful, we go on and we fail to thank God. God was there. God helped. We remained close to God. Turning to God in troubles is natural for the disciple of Christ. But, turning to God with that thankful heart because the troubles are over, is harder to do.

At all times, be praying. Be praying at home. Be praying as you travel. Be praying at school. Be praying as you eat. Be praying at work. Be praying in worship. And before long, that “at all times,” takes care of explaining the expression, “Pray without ceasing.” Now, we get it. Now, we understand. We are talking to God often throughout the day. Simple prayers. Deep prayers. Short prayers. Long prayers.

At all times, pray.

Roger

Jump Start # 3451

Luke 18:10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-collector.”

We are looking at the topic of prayer. In Luke 18, Jesus puts two prayer parables back to back. The first story is about a woman who would not give up. She needs help and a terrible judge finally gives her the protection she needs. The woman doesn’t pray. The judge wouldn’t pray. But it is in that atmosphere that Jesus wants his disciples to not give up on prayer. Our God is not like that judge. Our God wants to hear us. Our God sends blessings. Our God is good.

The second story is where our verse is found. Two men go to the temple to pray. They are very different. They would never be found in the same house eating together. They would not be friends. However, as different as they are, they are both in the temple praying. This was not a contest to see which one prayed the best.

Both prayers are short. The Pharisee’s prayer is 32 words. The tax-collector’s prayer is 7 words, one sentence. The topic Jesus is driving at isn’t really prayer. It’s the heart. One heart, the tax-collector, was honest, raw and humble. It was just he and the Lord. The Pharisee was looking around and even mentioned  the tax-collector in his prayer. The tax-collector sought the mercy of God. The Pharisee bragged.

To the audience first hearing these words, the tax-collector would have been booed. Yet, he is the one who was the example to be followed. The Pharisee thought too much of himself. He thought too little of others. And, he really didn’t think at all about God. His prayer doesn’t ask God for anything. It doesn’t praise God. It’s just a pat on his back about how good he was.

Some thoughts:

First, both men were sinners, but only one recognized it. The tax-collector sought the mercy of God. He acknowledged that he was a sinner. He knew he wasn’t right. He didn’t blame anyone. He didn’t excuse his behavior. The Pharisee was just as lost, but he never realized it. By comparing himself to others, he thinks he is better than most. The list that he uses to compare himself includes swindlers, unjust, adulterers and this tax-collector. It’s like he pulled the trash out of the gutter. He doesn’t compare himself to a rabbi, a priest or a godly person. Knocking others down doesn’t make us stand any taller.

May our eyes be open to our own sins and failures. May we realize that because we assemble weekly to honor the Lord, that we are not better than those who do not. Self-righteousness runs thick through religious people.

Second, the tax-collector believed that there was hope, even for him. This is why he is praying. This is why he is in the temple. This is why he endured the stares, the whispers and the mumbling under the breath. Even the Pharisee used this tax-collector as a terrible example in his prayer, likely saying it loud enough that the tax-collector heard him.

The Jews hated tax-collectors. Money was being taken to support a government that controlled them. They were not independent nor free as long as Rome was in charge. And, when one of their own citizens helped collect those taxes for Rome, it was seen as being traitor. And, yet, our Lord chose a tax-collector to be one of the apostles.

There will be those who assemble with us who are not like us. They do not have the heritage, background or experience as we do. They may say the wrong words. They may dress differently. Colored hair, tattooed, and pierced, we can stand at a distance and be thankful that we are not like one of “them,” or we can be thankful that they too are seeking the Lord as we are. Together, we sing. Together, we pray. Together, we worship.

Third, it is possible that prayer falls flat. It did for this Pharisee in the Lord’s parable. That prayer didn’t help him. It didn’t honor the Lord. It did nothing. And, that ought to remind us that our prayers can be a waste of breath if our attitudes and intentions are not correct. Public prayer is not the avenue for someone to preach to the audience. You are talking to God. It is not necessary to quote Scriptures to God. He is the author and knows the word better than we do.

An old definition of prayer says, “Prayer is keeping company with God.” That’s a good reminder for us.

Two men went up to pray…but actually only one truly prayed.

Roger