Prayer is not so much an act as it is an attitude—an attitude of dependency, dependency upon God.
Arthur W. Pink
There are 7 types of simple-praying people. Yesterday we saw that the first type of pray-er is one who is concerned. Today we explore the second type:
Humble People.
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 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. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “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.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14
Un-humble people are self-confident, self-righteous, self-elevated. But a humble person is one who is God-heard, God-answered and God-elevated. Proud people don’t pray powerfully.
The key for simple-praying people is found in verse 14, “those who humble themselves will be exalted“.
Verse 14 in the Message Bible explains it this way: “…If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”