Luke 18:1-14

Be still: Father, thank you for the grace of a new day. May I set aside distractions and offer up this time to you. Amen

Read: Luke 18:1-14 

‘And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’ (v5–6) 

Encounter: The Pharisees are doing all the right religious things — praying in the temple, fasting, giving tithes. Today I imagine they’d be on the church set-up or sound teams, preaching, serving refreshments, running prayer meetings. All of which are very good activities!

But when Jesus teaches his followers to pray, he says ‘then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’ He’s saying it's not visibility or using fancy language that matters. He's more interested in our prayer life in the secret place than the public square — that’s what forms and shapes us. Pete Greig advises in his book How to pray to ‘Keep it simple, keep it honest, keep it real’* Our heart posture is what’s most important to God.

The Tax Collector, lowest of the low in Jewish culture, did nothing to earn God’s favour but fell on his knees in all his brokenness and sin, saying 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'  This is the gospel message — we cannot earn God’s love, but he declares us righteous, new creations, when we turn to him in repentance. 

We all are tempted to sin, whether like the Pharisees full of pride or like the Tax collector dishonest in his employment — or whatever sin you struggle with. 

But God is the good father who says: come to me with everything, your sin, your mess — I don't want the outward performance or mask but your real self. 

Good works won’t fix us, but the good Father will. 

Apply: This is a moment for us to do a bit of a spiritual heart-check. Who do you relate to? The Pharisee ticking all the right boxes to please others rather than God? Or the Tax collector — you know you've sinned or messed up and want to get right with God.  

Devote: Lord search my heart for any sin within me. Thank you that I can turn to you in repentance, and you respond in grace. 

* Pete Greig - How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People (Amazon UK)