The focus of the next three weeks is prayer. To begin, we need to consider how our identity affects our prayer life.

How we perceive ourselves drastically affects our approach to God. Specifically, our identity is deeply intertwined with our approach to God in prayer. Jesus teaches just this truth in Luke 18:9-14.

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The significant difference between the pharisee and the tax collector is their understanding of their identities.

Identity 1: Jesus’ audience viewed their identity as the righteous ones. They were portrayed as the Pharisee in the parable, who labeled other men with identities of “extortioners, unjust, adulterers,” etc., and they took the identity of the holy ones who fast and tithe. They were righteous in their own eyes.

Result 1: Their prayers were arrogant, entitled, and ineffective.

Identity 2: The tax collector viewed his identity as a sinner in need of mercy and grace. He recognized his low and needy place before God.

Result 2: His prayer was humble and heard.

We are all sinners in need of grace. Recognizing and embracing our need before God is essential for effective prayer. When we believe we are entitled to something we are praying for, we are exalting ourselves as the Pharisee in the parable, and God promises to humble that kind of person. Answered prayer is meant to be received as a gift not as a wage. Just as with our salvation, God longs to pour out grace upon upon us, but we must recognize our need, not assume our rights. Our prayers will only be heard and answered when we approach God in humility.

Ultimately, this means our prayer must be Gospel-centered. The Gospel reminds us of our need, specifically, our identity as sinners in need of grace. The Gospel also reminds us of God’s holiness, his goodness, and his merciful love.

Meditating upon those identities through daily considering the Gospel will cultivate prayers that are humble and heard. May we center our prayer life upon the Gospel by recognizing our identity as needy sinners before a holy, loving God.

***Further food for thought: our gospel identity as sons and daughters of God leads us to pray with expectant faith to our loving, gift-giving Father. What other identities do we have as a result of the Gospel that affect our approach to God in prayer?