It’s funny how we’re wired. Whether it's a job interview or just social media, we feel the pressure to present our best self—the highlight reel, the wins, the resume. There's nothing wrong with celebrating what’s going right! But have you ever brought your spiritual resume to God? I know I have. We come into prayer thinking, "Okay, God, here’s what I did for you this week. I was patient, I read my Bible, I held my tongue." We're secretly hoping God is impressed with our performance. Posture of Prayer: Heart of Humility
In Luke, chapter 18, Jesus told a story about this exact thing, and it’s a game-changer for how we pray. He addresses people who were confident in their own righteousness.
The Wrong Posture: Pride - verse 9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
On the surface, it sounds okay. He’s disciplined and thanking God. But Jesus reveals the heart. This wasn’t a prayer; it was a FB post, a spiritual résumé. His focus wasn't on God's greatness but his own goodness. He was full of pride.
The Bible is clear on this. James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” That word "opposes" is a military term; God literally sets Himself in battle array against the proud. The Pharisee, with all his religion, missed God because his heart was in the wrong posture.
The Right Posture: Humility - verse 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
Look at the difference. This man has no resume, no list of accomplishments. He’s so aware of his brokenness he can’t lift his eyes. He has a simple, seven-word cry for help: God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
This is the posture that gets God’s attention. This is humility—the honest admission that we're completely dependent on Him. As Psalm 51:17 says, “A broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”
And here’s the punchline from Jesus: verse 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.” The sinner went home right with God, not the religious man. Why? Because prayer isn’t about performance; it’s about the posture of your heart.
So, what does this mean for us? We can trust God for everything. God isn’t waiting for you to be perfect; He’s waiting for you to be real. The tax collector’s prayer was an act of faith—faith that even in his brokenness, God’s mercy was available and enough.
Let's be honest about our prayers. Are we coming to God with the focus on us? Or like the tax collector, are we coming with a sincere cry for mercy, knowing Jesus is our only righteousness, that His grace is enough?
As we go into our prayer time, let’s pray for humility to fall on us, our church, our community, and our nation. Let's ask God to tear down the pride that keeps people from seeing their need for a Savior and replace it with the humble heart He “will not despise.”