When we fail to go to God for the concerns of life, we rely only on our own ability.  Its like trying to shovel your driveway with a 20 inch shovel when God’s answer is like the width of a plow truck, and can inject power that we could never imagine by our own effort.

The avenue to this power is found in prayer.  What we will find as we approach God through genuine prayers is that He first of all begins to work on our own hearts to bring them in line with His will.  Then once we have His perspective the concerns and worries of this world begin to melt away.

You don’t need to be a super-Christian to pray.  Even the Old Testament prayer warrior Elijah was a man just like us.  When the humble Christian turns to God, he hear no matter your prayer’s length or your pedigree or accomplishments.  He answers according to the plan of His purpose in the heart of the believer to extend His Kingdom as we serve as the hands and feet of Christ on earth.

Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)

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.’

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.’

14 “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.”

1. There is a right and a wrong way to pray
   1. Humility vs Pride
      “stood at a distance” vs “stood up”
   2. Simplicity vs Coercion
      “have mercy” vs crafted prayers to convince God
   3. Honesty vs Appearance
      “sinner” vs all the lists and comparison
   4. Dependence vs Self-Reliance
      “I” 5x vs addressed to “God”
2. Genuine prayer changes us
   vs 13 – “wouldn’t even look up to heaven, beat his breast”
3. God listenens to humble prayers
   vs 14 – “went home justified”
4. Our confidence MUST be found in God, not our own righteousness
   vs 9 – “confident in themselves”

The challenge for the believer is to come to God with genuine humility in our prayers, making certain we place our confidence in Him!