Praying with the Right Attitude (Episode 150)

Jesus taught a lot about prayer when He was with His disciples. That’s a good thing because prayer is the means God has given us for making our requests to Him and for receiving from Him. The more we learn about how to pray effectively, the more effectively we can pray. In this episode, Frank teaches on the importance of praying with the right attitude.

Jesus taught a parable about two men who went to the temple to pray. This parable was directed at those “who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and viewed others with contempt” (Luke 18:9, NASB).

In the parable, Jesus talked about a Pharisee and a publican. These were two extremes in the Jewish community. The Pharisees were an elite group, or they considered themselves to be an elite group of religious leaders in the Jewish community. They despised Jesus because His message and teachings were considered a serious threat to their prominence.

The publicans, on the other hand, were tax collectors, or collectors of public revenue. They were usually Jews, but the taxes they collected went to the Roman government. Needless to say, publicans weren’t the most popular people in town.

The Pharisee was self-righteous. He boasted to God that he was not like other men. “I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get,” he boasted (verse 12). By contrast, the publican acknowledged he was a sinner and threw himself upon the mercy of God.

Jesus' Verdict on the Two Men

To emphasize the importance of praying with the right attitude, Jesus said regarding the publican, “This man went down to his house justified rather than the other” (verse 14, KJV). “For everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted,” He continued.

Think about it; the Pharisee journeyed from his house to God’s house just to pat himself on the back. In the end, he returned home just like he came. And based upon what the Scriptures reveal about the Pharisees, you know this man had some flaws he needed to pray about. The publican simply submitted himself to the mercy of God.

Accordingly, if we want to have an effective prayer life, and we all should, we must pray with the right attitude toward others and about ourselves. That does not mean we cannot pray with confidence and boldness and faith. We should pray that way. But we must learn to pray that way void of pride, condescension and self-righteousness.