Two women came to church to pray. One was the president of the ladies circle and held several other prestigious positions in the church. She approached the altar, head held high, and knelt to ask God to bless all the plans she had made for the church. She reminded God of all the good things she did for the church, of how much money she put into the offering every week, and how the church would probably fall apart if it weren’t for her. Surely God should see fit to bless all her plans.

Meanwhile, the other woman, a pregnant teenager wearing tight black pants and shirt, slid in the back door and slumped into the pew closest to the door. She hid her face as tears filled her eyes. God, you know how many of your rules I have broken. I don’t deserve to walk through this door. There’s probably not a single person in this church who wants to see me here. Have mercy on me, the biggest sinner of all. If you are real, God, please bless me and help me to clean up this mess I’ve made of my life.

Which of these two women’s prayers do you think God blessed? Jesus told a parable much like this about two men who went to the temple to pray:

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else:  “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 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! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

 “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.’  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.”

–Luke 18:9-14 (NLT)

How do you approach God in prayer? Do you seek to win his favor by reminding him how good you are, or do you openly acknowledge your sins and beg forgiveness? Obviously, we don’t have to create mega-sins to confess, but if we are sincerely open to God’s teachings we will know where we fall short. If not, perhaps your prayer needs to be to humbly ask him to show you your sins. For if we want our prayers to be answered, we must approach God with a humble spirit.

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