As a child, my parents taught me how to pray using a simple morning and evening routine. Along with our daily prayer request lists and prayers before meals, they sounded something like this:
"God is great, God is good, now we thank Him for our food. Amen."
"Good morning, God. I thank you for this day. Help me to follow you in every way. Amen."
"Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Amen."
As silly as it sounds, I think children have it right when it comes to prayer. They don't think about what they're going to say; they just say it. Likewise, they aren't worried about giving a grand speech with the most eloquent words, and they certainly aren't afraid to ask God to heal their "boo boo" and scraped knees.
In Luke 18:9-17, we see two stories that illustrate this principle of prayer well: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector and the Little Children and Jesus. In the first story, both the Pharisee and the Tax Collector are praying at the Temple. In verses 11-12, we read that "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" (NIV).
This man was confident and a bit pretentious. Not only that, but he felt the need to use his prayer to thank God for not being like other people, even the tax collector who was in the Temple praying at the same time he was.
The Tax Collector, however, prayed to God in this way: "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'" (Luke 18:13, NIV). Unlike the Pharisee, the Tax Collector prayed to God with humble surrender and awe of God. He knew he wasn't worthy, but instead of trying to be something he wasn't, he surrendered who he was at the feet of God. He called himself a sinner, didn't compare his prayer to the Pharisee in the Temple, and kept His eyes focused on the Lord.
We read in verse 14 that though the Pharisees were to be the religious elite, it was the Tax Collector who prayed in a way that honored God: "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 18:14, NIV).
Today, we're given two choices when it comes to prayer:
1. We can be honest with God, humbling ourselves before Him.
2. We can be proud and boastful, puffing out our chests and telling God why we're better than others.
The right and holy answer should be evident to you—those who exalt themselves will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will someday be exalted.
The best kind of prayer we can bring before the Lord is an honest, sincere, and humble one. And the easiest way to pray is like that of a child. As Jesus notes in Luke 18:15-17, our compassion, eagerness, and steadfast devotion to God should never waver. He doesn't ask us to be anything we're not. He asks us to come to Him as little children would. With simple prayers. Honest prayers. Funny, real, raw, and improper sounding prayers. Because He isn't looking for our perfection—He's looking at our hearts.
"People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" (Luke 18:15-17, NIV).
Let's pray:
Dear Lord,
It's easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others. Especially when we see the flaunting or poetic prayers of others, it can make it seem like our prayers aren't enough. But Lord, you don't need our prayers to be perfect, poetic, or put-together, you just want us to come to you with sincere, honest, and open hearts. As David says in Psalm 51:10-12, let our spirits be renewed in you. "Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit" (Psalm 51:10-12, KJV).
Agape, Amber
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Anastasiia Stiahailo
Related Resource: I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life | Midweek Prayer (John 14:1–6)
When our hearts feel troubled, Jesus invites us to trust Him again.
This short midweek prayer creates space to pause, breathe deeply, and return to Jesus’s words in John 14:1–6, where He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” In this guided prayer, we acknowledge the places where worry, uncertainty, or longing have unsettled our hearts and bring them honestly before God.
Jesus reminds us that we are not alone—that He is with us, that He is preparing a place for us, and that He will return for us. As we pray, we ask for help to trust Him more deeply and to follow Him in the way He has already made clear: to love God fully and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Take a few quiet minutes to slow down, listen for God’s invitation, and rest in the presence of the One who leads us in truth and life. If you like what you hear, follow So Much More on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Originally published Thursday, 06 March 2025.
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