READING: 1 Samuel 11:1-14:14, Luke 18:1-23
I am struck by the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in today’s reading. I’m struck, of course, by the reality that my self-righteousness is never enough to please God; in fact, my best approach to God is only to cry out like the tax collector, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13).
What’s even more striking to me, though, is the way Jesus shows us the hearts of the two characters in this parable: we learn who they are by the way they pray. The Pharisee shows his arrogance, and the tax collector shows his grief and brokenness—all through the words of their prayers.
Thus, I’m forced by this text to ask what I reveal about my heart by the way I pray. Do I, for example:
- talk more about myself or about God and others?
- reveal a deep desire for non-believers to know Christ?
- reflect a burden for the unreached peoples of the world?
- confirm that I’m bitter and angry against someone?
- show brokenness over my own sin?
How about you? What do your prayers reveal about your heart?
TOMORROW’S READING: Review and catch-up day
