Young Adults' Group

The Spirit Of Prayer

by Pastor Mark
July 17, 2026

The right spirit of prayer

All of us recognise the need for prayer as we face the many challenges of life. We would not be able to deal with these problems on our own. Prayer helps us to look to God for His involvement and support in addressing our difficulties.

But we tend to assume that God will always hear our prayers. Whether He hears us depends very much on our approach to Him…whether we have the right spirit or not. It is never just about the form of our prayers but also the spirit in which we pray. The Lord Jesus taught a parable about the need to have the spirit of humility in prayer.

Addressing the wrong spirit of self-righteousness

“Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:” (Luke 18:9)

1. The Lord Jesus sought to address the problem of self-righteousness.
2. The sin of self-righteousness leads us to place our whole trust in ourselves…in our “righteousness”.
3. It leads us to think of ourselves more highly than we ought and to look down on others who are less righteous.
4. In the parable, the Lord Jesus described a Pharisee praying in the temple and manifesting self-righteousness (Luke 18:10–12).
   1. The Pharisee thanked God that he was not unrighteous like other sinful men, such as the tax collector.
   2. He proudly boasted of fasting twice a week.
   3. He took pride in saying that he tithes on all that he possesses.
5. The Pharisee was mistaken in thinking that by keeping these laws ritualistically, he would be considered righteous and that the Lord would hear his prayer.

The spirit of humility in prayer

1. The Lord Jesus also described a tax collector praying in the temple (Luke 18:13).
2. A tax collector was famous for being unscrupulous and for lacking integrity.
   1. They cheated the people of their funds by charging more taxes than necessary.
   2. They were hated for their unrighteous ways.
3. This tax collector recognised his sinful ways as he approached God in prayer.
4. He did not even dare to go forward to the front but stood afar off.
5. He was so ashamed of his sins that he did not even dare to look up at God.
6. The tax collector beat his breast as an indication of his sorrow and repentance for his sins.
7. He revealed a humble and contrite heart before the Lord in prayer.
8. He demonstrated a true spirit of humility in his prayer to the Lord.

What the Lord is looking for  

“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)

The Lord would accept and justify the tax collector’s prayer as he approached the Lord with humility. But He would not justify the Pharisee, for he was full of pride and self-righteousness. The Lord hates those who are proud and exalt themselves over others…He will humble them. On the other hand, the Lord will exalt those who are humble and contrite before Him. Let us be challenged to cultivate the right spirit in our approach to God. Let us be challenged to approach the Lord in prayer with a humble spirit.

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