MORNING DEVOTION- "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee..." (Psalm 63:1)
Scripture Reading: Luke 18:9-14
When the Lord had finished sharing with His disciples the importance of persevering in prayer, He told another parable of two men who had come up to the temple to pray, to help them understand the importance of praying with a humble and repentant heart. "The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men..." (v.11a). The self-righteous Pharisee boasted about all that he did so that he could be heard by others and receive the praise of men. The focus of his prayer was on himself, not on God's glory. The tax collector acknowledged he was unworthy to stand in the presence of God and stood at a distance.. "He would not even look up to heaven, but beat on his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner" (v.13). The tax collector could not even bring himself to lift his eyes up to God, but his heart was laid bare before the Lord. "...He knows the secrets of the heart" (Psalm 44:21b). The words these men spoke in prayer revealed the secret condition of their heart. Society viewed them both in extremely different lights, but their prayers uncovered the truth of their internal condition. The Pharisees' pious position and stately robes stood in stark contrast to the tax collectors' immoral and criminal profession; however, "out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:35), and with a few words their position before God was made known. With his self-exalting speech, the Pharisee uncovered the hypocrite hidden beneath his robe, while the tax collector's humble prayer revealed the poverty of his heart and his great need of God's mercy - and he "went home justified before God" (Luke 18:14a).
In one of His first lessons on prayer, Jesus explained to His disciples: "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full...Do not keep on babbling like the pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words" (Matthew 6:5, 7). The Pharisee had come to the temple to be heard and seen by man; he came to make an appearance, not to pray to God. His prayers (if they could be called that) were prideful and arrogant; he didn't need anything from God, he rested on the merits of his deeds rather than on the mercy of God. In stark contrast, the tax collectors' prayer was short and sincere, with an earnest desire for God's mercy and forgiveness; he knew only God could help him. Prayer is the means by which we are brought into a close relationship with God. The tax collector stood far off, but his humble prayer brought him straight into the throne room and into the presence of God, while every word the Pharisee uttered only further distanced him from the Lord. The Pharisees' prideful prayer revealed he was leaning on his self-righteous works to justify himself before God; but they only created a barrier that prevented him from experiencing a right relationship with the Lord. He was rejected by God, but the prayer of the tax collector teaches us that the Lord will receive anyone who will humbly acknowledge their sin and offer a prayer of true repentance. "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).
Heavenly Father,
"Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
for in You my soul takes refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings
until the disaster has passed.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who fulfills His purpose for me.
He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
God sends His love and His faithfulness...
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth."
(Psalm 57:1-3, 5)
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
As we pray, let us remember we are debtors to God, He is not a debtor to us; He owes us nothing, yet He has given us everything. We come before His throne of grace empty, with nothing to offer Him except a humble sinner's heart in need of the grace and mercy of God. May we let our hearts speak for us as we come to the Lord in prayer this morning asking Him to empty us of ourselves and expand our hearts to be filled with more of Him. "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time" (1 Peter 5:5b, 6).
AFTERNOON DEVOTION -"Evening, and morning, and noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:17, KJV).
Scripture Reading: Matthew 19:13-15
The lesson on humility continued as the people began to bring their children to Jesus so He could "place His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them" (v.13). There is no greater example of total dependence and trust than that of a child relying on his father. Jesus drew the children to Himself; as He laid his hands upon them and prayed for them, He expressed His desire for all His followers to share their childlike simplicity. "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (v.14). Children, the least of these, those who had no status or position in Jewish society, but who simply exhibited what was only natural for them - simple, believing faith - these were the ones the Lord opened wide the door of the kingdom and welcomed in. This is the example we are to follow.
As children depend fully on their fathers to help them grow, so Jesus wants for His followers to rely on Him and eagerly desire spiritual growth. "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" (1 Peter 2:2). The Pharisee proclaimed loudly his self-reliance, but the children gathering around Jesus, bore witness to His desire for everyone to depend fully upon Him. God knows what we need and He desires that we would come to Him with childlike faith, loving Him not just with our heart, but also with our soul and mind (reference Matthew 22:37), so we would also experience a nurturing and growing relationship that grows into full harmony with God; which includes growing in wisdom and knowledge of Him and His will.
The Lord wants to touch each of us the way He touched the children. He desires an intimate relationship with us just as He has with the Father. There is nothing done in heaven or on earth that is done without prayer. Jesus, the Son, is constantly asking of the Father, and the Father is always answering His Son (reference John 11:41-42). We have been invited to join in this most intimate of relationships, and have the privilege of being part of the work of God's kingdom every time we pray. Our prayers are not meant to impress others, instead our prayers are our intimate conversation with our Heavenly Father that touch His heart and allow Him to touch ours; ultimately working through us to touch the heart of the world. May we humble ourselves before the Lord and allow Him to lift us up to be used for His glory (reference James 4:10).
Heavenly Father,
Your Word says that the religion You accept
as pure and faultless is "To look after the orphans
and widows in their distress and to keep oneself
from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27).
As parents, may we bring our children before You
daily in prayer to receive a blessing for them.
Help us to openly speak the promises of Your Word into their lives so they
will grow up in Your Truth and walk in it all the days of their lives.
May we in no way hinder them from coming to You.
Thank You that You call them to Yourself.
Lord, we ask a special blessing of Your wisdom and knowledge for
those who minister to children and youth;
strengthen and prepare them to be a blessing to this generation
that the may lead many to salvation in Christ, and
to experience the wonderful joy and peace found in
the Father's love.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
As the precious, royal, and redeemed child of the King of kings, the Lord has opened the door of His kingdom and invited us into His throne room; not just to sit at His feet, but to crawl up into His lap and feel the embrace of His loving arms as we rest securely under the shelter of His wings. This afternoon, let us pray for the blinders to removed from those who are self-reliant, so they can see clearly the loving arms of the Father opened to them. May we daily run to our heavenly Father, with child-like simplicity and trust, surrendering ourselves fully into His infinite, all-sufficient, tender, and loving care, and pray with the heart of a child who believes their Father can do anything, and will give them everything they ask. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:9-11).
EVENING MEDITATION -"...and on His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2)
Scripture Reading: Psalm 8
The Pharisee, in our reading this morning, received his reward in full when he arrogantly boasted about his pious works. He walked away with exactly what he entered into the temple with - himself. The Lord invites us into a living, loving relationship with Himself so we can be emptied of self and be filled with the fullness of His abiding and abundant life. The mere thought that our heavenly Father has welcomed us into such a blessed union through His Son should humble us to silence in His presence. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1a). As we come to the close of our day, let us meditate on this Psalm of David and lift our voices in praise to God for all His marvelous works in the world, the goodness He has brought to our lives, and the intimacy we have with Him as His children. Let us bless our Father in heaven as we bow before His majesty and meditate on His glory in our time of prayer this evening.
Heavenly Father,
"O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory above the heavens.
From the lips of children and infants
You have ordained praise
because of Your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which You have set in place,
what is man that You are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
