Our scripture this week is Luke 18:9-14.
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
Luke 18:10-12
There’s a lot of “I” in this prayer. Yes, he does thank God, but it’s still all about him and how great he is compared to others. This is not the example of how to humble ourselves before God.
Our connection to God should be one of grateful humility. What could we possibly do to deserve the love and blessing God sends us? Apparently this man obeys the law, but it is not out of a sense of loving gratitude and relationship, to him it seems more like a quota to beat.
God wants to connect to us through prayer, but it must be genuine and honest. Our own actions mean nothing without knowing the joy of salvation and our reason for living at all – to glorify God and serve His kingdom. The only “I” in our prayers should be “I thank You Lord for everything I am, for without You, I am nothing.”
Heavenly Father, without You we are weak and lost. Help us to lose our foolish pride and put all our hope and trust in You alone. Amen.