Short Talk on Prayer

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A Short Talk on Prayer
By Jean Marie

"Our prayers must mean something to us if they are to mean anything to God." Maltie D. Babcock

Luke 18:9-14: Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: "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 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."

In this parable, Jesus is speaking of two different kinds of prayer. One is the Pharisee's prayer, which is a self-centered prayer because he is exalting himself. The other is the one the tax collector prayed which is a God centered prayer because he is asking humbly before God to be forgiven. Jesus shows us the need for confession of guilt, in this parable. He also shows us that the prayer that means the most is the one that is centered on God. As you read, the Pharisee felt he was so religiously correct that he walked away feeling condemned. Yet the tax collector walked away feeling justified for the forgiveness of his sin.

Jesus' main message here is that God is not interested primarily in our good deeds, but in the willingness to let Him do the work of grace in us. There are so many of us crippled today by our past wrong doings, that we feel we are not good enough to come before God in prayer or by going to church or in fellowshipping with others. The prayer that God hears is an earnest prayer, or one that comes from our hearts. We need to understand that we do not depend on God for his admiration of what we do, but we depend on God for His grace to sustain us.

Psalm 6:9: The Lord has heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer.
David prayed many prayers unto God. The whole book of Psalms is a good reflection of this. Supplication is a humble prayer, entreaty, or petition to God. Therefore, David was going before God humbly and the Lord received his prayer. God knows us without us having to paint him a picture.

As read in Psalm 139:1-6: O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high I cannot attain it.

Here we see that God knows our needs even before we ask, however he does like us to come before him with prayer and supplication to ask.

In conclusion, our prayers are to be respectful and heart felt with much thanksgiving. There is no wrong way to pray, if you remember this. The only wrong prayer is the self-centered prayer, as Jesus spoke of in Luke 18.



I've been in the ministry since I was a young girl. Have been an evangelist, speaker, youth pastor, since 1988, and part-time pastor of an online website since 2007. I have done individual counseling for those in need of advice and guidance through the direction of the Holy Spirit of God. I enjoy helping others as much as I can or finding them the help they need. Along with others, we are starting to grow this ministry out into the community through Support and Prayer Groups. We are also working with training via the web, some young people in Africa about the Fullness of God and are helping them spread the word of God. I will also be publishing my first book sometime soon. I will post that to the blog and my ministry website at www.iamhomeministry.org. The podcast link to here the mini-sermons/ teachings is: https://iamhomecoffeetime.buzzsprout.com/ If you have any questions, please email me or sign up on the contact me at the bottom of this page. Peace and Blessings to you and your families! In Christ's Love- Pastor Jean Marie

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