It is necessary to distinguish between true and false repentance if we hope to be heard when we pray.
Luke 18:10-12 (Jesus on prayer)
“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’"
Attrition, or a kind of false repentance, is the concern we have for the consequences of our sin without being ashamed for having violated God’s standards in the first place. As long as we feel like we deserve forgiveness without a contrite confession, we haven't really repented. We haven't understood the justice that is found in sincerity and the mercy that comes from it. We've only demanded justice from God by virtue of our works, no mercy is being asked of The Lord, because no guilt has been confessed. It's a kind of faith that is built upon the spirit of attrition.
What is attrition?
Attrition - it's attempting to weakening or exhaust God's will by constant harassment, and abuse. A wearing down of spirit and endurance. Long winded prayers, continuous ritualistic activities, asceticism, self-interested programs that give the pretense of contrition.
The spirit of attrition attempts to win the war of redemption by wearing down the enemy's strength. With constant resistance and repeated attacks against the enemy's will. The point of view is that God's will can be overcome by our good intentions and good deeds. The spirit of attrition sees The Lord as an enemy to be overcome and an opportunity to find favor from the conquering foe. It's always looking for an opening in the defenses and an advantage to take. They're only coming before the Lord to mitigate the punishment they deserve by shifting the blame from themselves through their virtuous living. They're paying the scapegoat price.
On the other hand, contrition is sorrow for having sinned against God's mercy.
Did you see what I said there?
It's not just that we sinned against God, we sinned specifically against his mercy. We know he is merciful, we've been praying to his mercy. We know his Son sits on the mercy seat. And we sinned just the same. We sinned against his mercy. Sincere confession in a contrite spirit recognizes that our Creator would be justified in condemning us and does not try to shift the blame to someone or something else.
What is contrition?
Contrition - Sincere remorse for wrongdoing; repentance. Born out of a fearsome soul who has been converted through sorrow into a humble penitence by the realization that they have not been living the genuine lives they were meant to live.
Luke 18:13-14 (Jesus continues on prayer)
“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’"
(And Jesus explains)
"I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
The Perfect Prayer - The 5 second prayer
St. Francis de Sales encourages everyone to partake in this type of prayer on a daily basis. He refers to them as, short little “darts of love” to God throughout the day. Taking a few seconds in our daily moments, as we go about our lives running our races, to reflect upon The Lord's mercy and it's presence in our lives.
When I'm driving around town, I often pass by a local church nearby my neighborhood. They have these road signs there. They're 5 second prayer signs spread out evenly along the road in front of their property.
Have you ever seen them?
The first sign says, "Five Second Prayer, GO!"
Then the next five signs, spaced out about twenty feet apart, each counting down from five to one.
And I find myself wanting to participate each time I pass by. In fact, I think I purposely choose that route sometimes, just so I can take another moment to offer up my love for God's mercy.
When I first encountered them, I typically spoke prayer words of thanksgiving, hopes, and maybe confession while passing by.
Sometimes whatever pops into my head. Kinda like junk prayers, like delivering junk mail. Simple things like:
"Thank you Jesus, I love you"
"Come Lord Jesus come"
"God my God you are mighty"
"I need you lord, please hear me"
"Save my children from the enemy"
"Protect my family and bless our home"
Whatever I was able to squeeze into 5 seconds.
Not that they're unholy and fake prayers...but maybe a little if I was being honest. They're just not very thoughtful and definitely not contrite. They're kind of like fortune cookie prayers. They're glorying in His glory and that's not a bad thing, but they're not prayers that are sincerely interested in recognizing that God is merciful. They're cheap grace.
After a while, I noticed I was getting resentful when I passed by these signs. I was thinking to myself,
"These signs are making small the power of prayer, its deconstructionism."
I was beginning to feel like it was nonsense to play along with this typical modern American reduction of something completely holy. And so for a time I drove by and refused to pray along. Each time I passed by I would grow angry at the signs. I'd say things like,
"This is just like the church to diminish prayer, to cheapen grace into a five second sound bite".
And then one day the signs weren't there. And I was disappointed.
I thought to myself,
"How dare they take away my opportunity to pray!"
I really got angry about a bunch of stupid signs.
Much later, after I had forgotten all about the signs, I was passing by again and they were back. I was so surprised that I had to slow down and find a place to turn around so that I could start the pray time over again. This time my heart and mind was in a different place. I'd thought often about those signs while they were gone, and somehow along the way, and probably with the help of The Holy Spirit, I finally realized that I had been treating them like the Pharisee in Jesus' prayer story. I was expecting, not expressing. I was demanding something from God and angry when I didn't have it my way.
And so there I am, I'm in my truck, standing along the shoulder of the road, and looking at that first sign. And I'm stilling my thoughts and my heart and I'm searching my soul for my five second prayer, pondering about that Pharisee. And then it hit me.
I put my foot on the brake, checked my mirrors for traffic, put the truck in gear and began to drive.
And as I got up to speed, I reached that first sign, and I prayed out loud...
"Father forgive me, sinner that I am"
I could see now that this tax collector's prayer was the perfect prayer. It's a five second prayer. It's a simple and sincere dart of love. He hit the mark perfectly. Everything else follows by virtue of God's mercy. Blessings, prosperity, providence and protection. All these prayer requests I could hope to express come automatically as a byproduct of God's mercy.
I realized I simply needed to confess and thereby confirm my love for God. And everything else I need from God would follow naturally. And I'm not talking about some shallow pretense at confession. I will typically pass by thinking deeply about what I am truly confessing. And allow the Spirit to search my thoughts.
The tax collector's prayer of confession opens the road for mercy to come, because he trusts in God's promise of grace:
Isaiah 45:2
“I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.”
His prayer of confession invokes divine revelation and wisdom because he submits to God trusting he will convert our souls by straightening out our minds:
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
His prayer of confession is a prayer of intervention, because he knows in his heart that God's mercy is ready and willing to save him:
Matthew 7:7
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
His prayer overcomes obstacles and opens up doors of opportunities, because God's mercy promises salvation for the penitent spirit:
Revelation 3:8
“I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”
His prayer gives voice to his need-to-know God's will, and God's mercy guarantees divine guidance and purposes:
Psalm 119:105
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
And finally, his prayer of full surrender in praying for mercy brings hope and an assurance of his deliverance:
Psalm 34:17
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”
What did I learn?
Humility, not self-expression, is the way to God's mercy.
Take 5 seconds right now to pray to God, offering to him a little “dart” of your love for him and his mercy.