Day 9 - 21 Days of Prayer Devotional

21 Days of Prayer DAY 9 - Luke 18:9-14 9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: 'I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don't cheat, I don't sin, and I don't commit adultery. I'm certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.' 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." CONSIDER THE CONTEXT Jesus often spoke in parables. These short stories, shared by Jesus, always had a powerful message of how we are to live as children of God participating with Him in perpetuating His Kingdom here on Earth. In today's prayer we see a parable told comparing the prayers of a Pharisee and the prayers of a tax collector. You see, the Pharisee was at the top of the socio-spiritual ladder in Israel. They were the most respected people of the day. What they said carried weight - you just didn't go against the Pharisees for fear you would become an outcast. They had that much power during that time. If the Pharisee was at the top of the ladder the tax collector was at the bottom. Their livelihood depended on how well they collected the taxes owed by the people The authorities had no rules on how much the tax collector collected or how they collected the taxes. All they authorities cared about was that they received the taxes owed them. Tax collectors were hated by the people. CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS Jesus used the prayers of the most respected people and compared them to the most reviled people of the time to drive home an important point. That point was that our prayer must come from a place of brokenness, not a place of pride. You see, as powerful as God is, He simply won't work with pride leading the way. Nothing shuts the doors of heaven like pride. At the same time, nothing touches the heart of God like brokenness. You see the Pharisee thought he had it all together. In his eyes he had it all figured out. He boasts of his good ways. He compares himself to others and always comes out on top. God deals with people like that by ignoring their calls to Him. The tax collector recognized that he is nothing before God and God's compassion can't help but to pour out. CONSIDER THE PRAYER God, this is hard for me, but I want to be broken for you today. I don't even know what that really means, but I want to touch your heart. Sometimes I can so relate to the Pharisee - pride can really take me over. Thank you that you just don't leave me during those times. But today, I want to know the power of humility on my life. I want to come to you knowing that I have no right to but for the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I want my Church to be blessed by that kind of humility. I want my family and my life to be blessed by the touch of your heart that only a broken person can experience. Thank you that my entire life isn't destroyed by brokenness but please let me know that I am not coming to you through pride and false humility. Thank you that you choose to relate to me here and now. May your power be seen as I lift up my life and my Church life during this 21 days of prayer to you. Amen.