LIFT Daily Prayer: God, Be Merciful to Me, a Sinner
So, little bit of preparation this morning. Um, this is a chunk. It’s one verse, but I’m going to read you the the context the best I can, but do please write it down in good morning uh on our 339th day together. It’s Luke chapter 18 10-14. Luke 18 verses 10-14 the thrust though the focal point we are going to pray today verse 13 but I have to I have to throw these verses in to make it to make it clear.
So Jesus is speaking and he said, “Two men went up to the temple to pray when a Pharisee and another tax collector. The Pharisees stood and prayed thus with himself, saying, “God, I thank you that I’m not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess.
Verse 13. And the tax collector standing a far off would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner. Jesus says, “I tell you this man went down to his house justified while the other man while while the other for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
” Let me read it again because it’s big and then we’ll pray. Jesus is speaking. Luke 18 verse 10. Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. God, I thank you that I’m 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 aar off would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat on his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Jesus went on to say, “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.” Wow. Father, we come before you this morning and it is so evident in what your dear son has spoken to us in your in your wonderful Bible that a man all righteous, all visibly good on the outside. He was not He didn’t do bad things.
He didn’t sleep with other people’s wives. He didn’t rip off the IRS. Uh he he fasted twice a week. He did all these great things. And as this man expects an applaud from heaven. It’s remarkable, Lord God, to see and to realize that those are things that we’re not supposed to do anyway. Why would we get points for not committing adultery? Why would we get points for not being unjust? We’re not supposed to be unjust.
