This morning in my reading I came to one of my favorite prayers recorded in the Bible. There are countless moving and profound prayers in Scripture. Daniel’s prayer is majestic; David’s countless poetic outpourings in Psalms are inexhaustible; and many pastors love to reference John 17, of course; and there is the Lord’s Prayer that Scripture records for us.

But for me, one of my enduring favorites is found in Luke 18. The context is crucial. It centers upon a Pharisee and the tax collector:

¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14 ESV)

There is so much here. We can misspend a lot of time and energy playing the lethal comparison game. You know, the “Well, I’m not like _________” game, wherein we make ourselves into fine, upstanding blessings to the world. We so quicky forget that God is the Judge, not a fellow sinner.

The Pharisee, per Jesus, remained spiritually condemned. His pride damned him. But the repentant, humble, contrite tax collector, how did he fare, per Jesus?

“I tell you, this man [the tax collector] went down to his house justified, rather than the other [the Pharisee]” (Luke 18:14a ESV).

And the tax collector’s prayer? “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13 ESV)