Have Mercy on Me

 

But the tax collector stood at a distance.

He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast,

And said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Luke 18:13

As a child, I hated the point in the church service when it was time to pray.  I was just a kid trying not to get in trouble, and some of the old guys who participated in the Morning Pastoral Prayer were so long winded.  Often self-centered in nature, those endless prayers made me want to explode.  Mother’s firm hand on my little shoulder kept that from becoming a reality.

Jesus didn’t care for the windy self-centered religious leaders who were renowned for their rose-colored glasses when it came to an honest assessment of their sins.  They thought they were not only good enough for whatever God might have in mind, but they were a far sight better than the common people who got in their way in the synagogue.

No, Jesus searched the corners and the back side pews for the shepherds, the widows, the tax collectors – those who understood their need for God’s mercy, and were willing to humble themselves before the Almighty.  We come to Him in prayer, not to proclaim our righteousness, but to be filled with His righteousness.