HEARTFELT PRAYERS (4)

“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men MEN ALWAYS OUGHT to PRAY and NOT LOSE HEART” – Luke 18:1

Our Lord Jesus Christ consistently taught on HEARTFELT PRAYERS: “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men MEN ALWAYS OUGHT to PRAY and NOT LOSE HEART” (Lk.18:1). Jesus’ immediate audience were His disciples: “to make the point that at all times they ought to pray and not give up and lose heart” (v.1, Amplified). To fail to pray is to give up and lose heart! People who pray inevitably sustain their hearts from fainting or failing. Prayer is a means by which we commune with God, and it is most acceptable when it flows from the heart. As we pray to God from our hearts, with honesty, we gain His guidance and establish a fruitful, fulfilling relationship with Him.

Prayer is God’s Method! God hears prayers: “O You who hears prayer, to You all flesh will come” (Psa.65:2). In particular, prayer is a key theme in Luke’s gospel. Zechariah prayed (Lk.1:5-17). Anna prayed (Lk.2:36-38). Jesus lived a life of prayer. Jesus prayed at His baptism (Lk.3:21). Jesus withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Lk.5:16). Jesus prayed all night on a mountain before He chose His twelve apostles (Lk.6:12). Jesus prayed in private before asking His disciples about His identity (Lk.9:18). Jesus prayed at His transfiguration (Lk.9:28). Jesus taught His disciples how to pray (Lk.11:1-2). Here, He taught two prayers that are acceptable to God.

First, the parable of the persistent widow and unjust judge in verses 1-5 illustrates God’s appreciation of persistent, tenacious, heartfelt prayers. Jesus taught the need for perserance and persistence in prayers. The parable also suggests that God could test us to prove the sincerity of our prayers. If an evil judge could be swayed by persistence, how much more will our loving God “avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?” (v.7). When prayers come from the heart, they’ll be persistent and unwavering. Acceptable prayers before God are more of a heart-to-heart talk with Him than a mere list of requests.

The widow in the parable was not engaged in a selfish or sensual endeavour. She was pleading for justice. According to the Old Testament, God is particularly attentive to the cries of widows and orphans who cry out to Him, because they have no human helper to protect and provide for them. God comes to the defense of the defenseless who cry out to him. He delights to show Himself strong when the weak seek for His help: “You shall not harm or oppress any widow or fatherless child. If you harm or oppress them in any way, and they cry at all to Me [for help], I will most certainly hear their cry” (Exo.22:22-23).

The latter part of our meditation text compares the prideful, self-centred boasting of the impertinent Pharisee with the heartfelt prayer of the penitent Publican: “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (vv.11-14).

Though the publican or tax collector only prayed a sentence, God called him justified because he prayed from his heart, whereas the Pharisee was arrogant and self-exalting. Prayer doesn’t depend on how long we pray or how pretty sounding our words are, but on whether we pray honestly. Praying with insincerity is unacceptable to God. We must sustain a quiet and sincere heart before God. If we’ll truly commune with God, we cannot deceive Him with falsehoods, or empty, nice-sounding words. Prayer is not about following a rigid routine or procedure; it is about seeking God with a true and sincere heart.