Simple Prayer: Luke 18:9-14

We are going to spend some time over the next several weeks studying about prayer. It is a paradox to me that prayer in one sense is so simple that a child can pray quite effectively and yet we adults frequently struggle with prayer. It is easy to feel guilty about prayer. No one feels like they pray enough. Our prayers often can seem self centered asking, asking, and asking God for all types of things.

It is not my desire to add to the guilt. I would like us to pray more, to pray more fruitfully but not as some act of self-control and self-will. I hope our understanding of prayer will increase as well as making prayer something more natural than something that is forced.

I. The Simplicity of Prayer
What is prayer? There are all kinds of definitions but today we begin with a simple one-- a definition defined in this short parable in Luke 18:9-14. The parable is simple, a comparison of two men’s prayers. One prayer is lengthy and seems to be reminding God about the man’s dedication and faithfulness. The other man’s prayer is short, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Most of us have never met a Pharisee or a tax collector, for that matter. Maybe we should modernize the parable a bit. “Two people went into the airport chapel to pray. One person was on the last leg of a mission trip. The other person wore a biker jacket, had a huge gut and smelled of beer and cigarettes. The first person prayed, ‘God, praise your name for that awesome mission trip. We were able to do so much good in your name, help so many people. We worked hard and I am tired but at least I haven’t wasted my life like some people. God bless me on this trip home, Amen.’ The other person prayed, ‘God, I blew it again. Please have mercy on me.’ Guess what? This person went home right before God and not the first.” How does that parable make you feel? Are you a little offended?

The parable is directed toward religious people and that should make us sit up and pay attention, after all we are religious people. I don’t know about you but it is hard not to feel better than some people. I like watching those police video shows. Livonia even gets on there once in a while. As I watch some moronic episode I think, “people are so stupid.” The implication being I’m not. Of course my stupidity has never been caught on videotape and shown to millions of people.

A story of two prayers-- one is heard and the other doesn’t make it to the ceiling. As we think about prayer today we need to try and understand what we can learn about prayer from this parable.

The definition I see here is, “Prayer is a human heart crying out to God.” It is a simple definition for a simple prayer. All of us have prayed prayers like this. It may have been about some sin in our lives. It may have been about a crisis of health, relationship, or loss. This is the prayer of desperation, the end-of-your-rope prayer. Why would God listen to this prayer and not the other? It seems wrong doesn’t it? When was the last time the tax collector prayed to God? Days? Months? Years? The other man may have been a Pharisee but he prayed often. He was serious about his faith. What’s wrong with this picture?

II. Learning from Simple Prayer
The main point Jesus is making in the parable has to do with pride and humility. But there are other lessons we can observe from this parable. Prayer doesn’t have to be long or elaborate to be heard by God. Children can pray some profound prayers, as those of us who are parents know. Even though we know this, our prayers do seem to become more complicated as we grow older. God is looking for more than length and beautiful language.

Another thing we see is that anyone can pray. You don’t have to be a good person for God to hear your prayer. You don’t have to have a Bible degree. This is simple prayer, not difficult, not complicated, not even profound. There are other examples of simple prayer in scripture. Peter crying out, “Lord, save me!” (Mat 14:30) as he sinks into the sea. Another simple prayer is the thief who prays, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Lk 23:42)
To say that prayer is simple does not mean that it is easy. The simple prayer, the cry of the human heart comes in desperation and intense emotion. It may be the emotion of fear or despair or anger or awe. Whatever the emotion, it is that emotion that drives a person to cry out to God in a moment of intense crisis. I don’t like those intense emotions myself. Like most people I want to avoid the painful situations that drive me to simple prayer.

The thing about simple prayer is that it is honest. As I read this week, researchers have found at least three situations where we are not ourselves. The average person tends to put on airs when they are in the lobby of a fancy hotel. Another is when a person enters a showroom to buy a new car. And the third is on Sunday morning when try to get God to believe that we have been good all week. God is not looking for perfection when we pray; he is looking for honesty.
Jesus’ point in the parable is that there is humility in simple prayer. Simple prayer is a recognition that who I am, what I do, is totally inadequate in the face of my need. The barrier that pride represents in prayer is enormous. To truly pray a simple prayer we must abandon pride to come to God.

In Luke, this parable is followed by the story of children being brought to Jesus and the story of the rich young ruler. I don’t think this is accidental. The children and the ruler make requests of Jesus. The children are blessed and the ruler turns away in disappointment. Jesus wanted to bless the ruler but couldn’t. The children just held out their arms to Jesus to receive whatever he wanted to give them. It was a simple prayer.

Livonia Church of Christ: July 17,2005