"Prayer:
Is it to God or to Ourselves?"

"The Pharisee stood and PRAYED THUS WITH HIMSELF, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

Luke 18:11 KJV (Capitals are mine for emphasis)

"The Pharisee stood and was PRAYING THIS TO HIMSELF . . . " Luke 18:11a NASB (Capitals are mine for emphasis)

GOD SHUTS HIS EARS TO ONE, BUT RESPONDS TO THE OTHER

Please forgive me, but religious people turn me off. They are just not my kind of folks. Picture this scene. Two men go into the Temple to pray; a religious man, and one who does not try to hide the fact that he is a sinner. God shuts His ears to one, but responds to the other. The Pharisee "prayed to himself", while the despised publican--a dishonest tax collector--smote himself on the chest, and cried out, "God, be merciful to me a sinner".

JESUS NEVER CONDEMNED SINNERS, BUT REACHED OUT TO THEM IN MERCY

What do you think about prolonged public prayers? I'm talking about the ones which go on, and on, and on, with no end in sight. Jesus never condemned sinners, but reached out to them in mercy. He reserved His public condemnation and chastisement for "religious phonies", going so far as to call them "vipers"--snakes in the grass--and "whitewashed burial sites full of dead mens' bones". Theirs was a life of pretense, trying to impress others with their outward holiness, while their hearts were far from God.

IF ANYONE WANTED TO "HEAR THE LATEST GOSSIP", THEY COULD LISTEN TO ALL THE DETAILS AS SHE PRAYED

When I was growing up in the church my parents pastored, there was one woman who liked to lead out in prayer on Sunday mornings. She was so long-winded that we would look at our watches, and time her; as other people in the congregation just sat down, and took a nap, as they knew they could not stand up as long as it would take her to "perform". As children, we would count how many times she would use the term "Lord God" in her prayer. I knew another woman in a house Bible study who volunteered to dismiss the service with prayer. If anyone wanted to "hear the latest gossip", they could listen to all the details as she prayed. But, she continued on so long that by the time she finished, she had "cleared out the room", and most of the people had already gone home.

THE ONE GOD HEARS IS THE INDIVIDUAL WHO PRAYS FROM HIS HEART WITH SINCERITY, AND IN HONESTY

Why some people don't have enough discernment to figure out that a person with "a gift of gab" is not the spiritual one is beyond me. The one God hears is the individual who prays from his heart with sincerity, and in honesty. A religious person not only prays "to himself", but he makes sure he speaks loud enough for others to hear how great he thinks he is. But, he does not stop there. He continues on to judge and condemn others he doesn't think measure up to his standards.

HE SAID, "SO I CAN HEAR MY OWN VOICE, AND LISTEN TO MYSELF PRAY"

Once I saw a man cup his hand over one ear every time people in the congregation prayed in unison. My curiosity got the better of me, and one day I asked him why he did it that way. His answer shocked me. He said, "So I can hear my own voice, and listen to myself pray". He was more concerned about hearing himself pray than making sure God heard his prayer.

HE IS THE ONE WHO HEARS AND ANSWERS PRAYER

Yes, I believe in courting God's manifested presence, and basking in His glory for hours at a time. But, this kind of prayer involves heart-searching, pressing through to touch the hem of Jesus' garment, and claiming the answers to our petitions. We do not pray to ourselves, but our prayers are directed toward the Lord. He is the One Who hears and answers prayer.