The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’”

—Luke 18:13

This tax collector was so aware of his sins he would not even lift his eyes to the heavens while praying.

The Pharisee, in the meantime, prayed to thank God they were not like these other sinful men, but that they were good and righteous, boasting in the middle of their prayers by listing all the good things they did.

Jesus tells us that the tax collector went away justified in the sight of the Lord while the Pharisee did not (Luke 18:14).

This story strikes home when we consider the times we’ve seen someone else’s sin and thought something like, “Well, at least I don’t struggle with THAT.”

We may not be putting those words in our prayers, but if the attitude exists in us at all, we’re missing a trait that’s essential for followers of Jesus—humility.

There will never be a time in our Christian walk when superiority and disdain for other peoples’ struggles will be acceptable. There will never be a time we don’t need to pray, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” just as much as we ever did.

We are always to come to the Lord and walk through life in humility.

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).

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