Several years ago, while reading the Russian spiritual classic, “The Way of the Pilgrim” I was reminded of The Jesus Prayer – “Lord Jesus, Son of God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” I decided to recite this prayer each day as many times as it came to my mind. It has become a valuable spiritual practice for me that may prove valuable to you, too, if you are willing to try it.
Whenever I say the prayer, I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the two men praying at the temple. The Pharisee informs 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.” In contrast the tax collector beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus said the tax collector rather than the Pharisee went home from the temple justified in the eyes of God. Ironically, both the Pharisee and the tax collector received exactly what they requested from God.
In his excellent book on the parables, Robert Farrar Capon uses his theological imagination and comes up with this interesting story: The Pharisee noticed the tax collector praying and invited him out to lunch. He soon enrolled the tax collector in his school of prayer and within a month the tax collector stood at the temple and prayed, “God I thank you that I am not like other people…”
Sometimes we may imagine that this prayer of forgiveness is beginners level prayer and we should soon graduate to a more serious level of prayer! Nothing could be further from the truth. We are continual sinners in need of continual forgiveness. Learning to pray The Jesus Prayer in humility will remind you that you need grace everyday and that God longs to give it to you. As a forgiven sinner you will also be reminded that everyone around you needs daily grace as well and you might be more inclined to offer it to them.
You may be surprised what an eleven-word prayer can do for your spiritual life, not to mention your relationships with others!
- Kenny Payne
“Learning to pray The Jesus Prayer in humility will remind you that you need grace everyday and that God longs to give it to you. As a forgiven sinner you will also be reminded that everyone around you needs daily grace as well and you might be more inclined to offer it to them. ”