Humble Prayer — Frans Bakker

The following excerpt is from Frans Bakker’s Praying Always, truly one of the hidden gems of the Banner’s backlist.

‘And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.’

— Luke 18:13

After the Israelites had been conquered by the Romans, it became necessary for them to pay taxes and customs to their oppressors. Publicans were wealthy, corrupt Israelites who promised to pay a given sum into the Roman treasury for each province in Israel. In order to obtain sufficient amounts to pay the taxes, to generously compensate for their own labour and risk, and often to pay Roman governors for allowing oppressive practices, the publicans excessively over-charged their fellow citizens. They kept large portions of the money they received to enrich themselves and live extravagantly. It was the publican Zacchaeus who admitted that he had obtained many goods by fraud (Luke 19).

Needless to say, the publican’s riches led to a sinful life. Where there is plenty of money, the doors of sinful pleasures open up. The same loose principles that allowed their consciences to deceive their fellow citizens also allowed them to live in sin. The Bible often mentions ‘publicans and sinners’ in the same breath.

No wonder that the Jews refused to associate with the publicans. They were traitors and oppressors of their own people and they were shameless and lawless men. They had made themselves worthy of the contempt of the people. A poor honest man would never accept charity from a publican. Seen in this light we can somewhat appreciate the Pharisee’s prayer. Aren’t we also, when we hear of the publicans, thankful we aren’t like them? If Christ’s mission had not been to save sinners, he would never have entered the custom house except to destroy the publicans in righteous indignation.

But here we see a publican, not at the receipt of customs, but in the temple, bowing down before God. God has become too strong for him and sin has become too much for him. The man looks for a place where he can pour out his heart before the Lord. Although he must acknowledge that it would be just if he were cast away from God’s presence forever, he cannot stop seeking after God. One might suppose that such a person would flee as far away from God as possible, but no, he clings to the Lord; if he perishes, he perishes.

How the people who entered the outer court must have despised him! They must have shunned him as if he were a leper. The Pharisee is so indignant that he cannot refrain from mentioning the publican’s appearance in his prayer. It took a lot of nerve for such a vile specimen of humanity to appear inside the temple!

But the one who had the least nerve was the publican. He knew better than anyone that he was the lowest creature, and with every step he took he knew too that he was unclean. He dared go no further; he stood afar off with downcast eyes. It would be a miracle for him if he would not perish there before God’s holy countenance! His humility was not put on. Some people say very humbly that they are satisfied with the lowest place, but underneath this humility is pride. What a good thing it is to have an attitude of humility in prayer! Humility is the first thing a sinner learns and also the last thing.

With downcast eyes the publican smites his hand on his breast. When things go wrong people often hit themselves on the head to show that they don’t know what to do. But when they see that the root of their problem is their own sin, they don’t strike their head, but rather their breast, just as this publican did. The publican places his hand where his spiritual pain is: ‘Here it is, inside of me,’ he seems to say as he strikes his hand on his breast. And that is where the seat of sin is. This publican has been mortally wounded with the sword of his own sin.

Not until now does he begin to speak; the attitude of his heart preceded his words. What an immense difference there is in the way we draw near to God. We can come with the same words the publican used and yet lack his attitude of heart. Much more important than what we say is the attitude in which we approach the Lord. The all-knowing God looks at the heart first. ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner,’ the publican cried. The Greek actually says, ‘O God, be merciful to me the sinner.’ The publican feels himself to be not just a sinner, but the sinner. For him only one sinner exists and that is he.

As long as we are just a sinner, one among many, and as long as the concept of sinner is still a general idea for us, then we have not yet become the sinner before God. We can acknowledge that we are a sinner among many with faults and shortcomings, but never feel personal guilt. When we finally do feel guilt, we don’t try to excuse ourselves by pointing to others, but we ourselves become the only and greatest sinner.

What does it actually mean to be a sinner before God? To understand that we will see what the original Greek says. There a word is used that means ‘missing the mark.’ We need to realize that we have missed the excellent mark for which we were created in paradise—to live to God. We missed the mark because we broke away from God to live to self. The prophet Daniel named many of King Belshazzar’s sins when the hand on the wall wrote ‘Weighed in the balances, and found wanting.’ But the chief sin of Belshazzar was that, ‘God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.’ Let us meditate on these words, ‘missing the mark.’ We not only have sin, but we are sin. Man comes to God, not only with sin, but as one who is sin.

Doesn’t that humble you? What else can you do but ask for grace? The publican offered no tithes and didn’t boast of fasting twice a week. He could only ask for grace—grace or death.

When a sinner prays like that for grace he leaves God free to grant grace or withhold it. God’s sovereignty is acknowledged and not a word is spoken against God, even if no answer comes from heaven. Grace leaves God free, otherwise it is not grace. It is hardly necessary to add that such a humble prayer has no value in the eyes of the one who prays. Sometimes the complaint is heard, ‘If my prayer were only a true prayer.’ Here the idea is that there is some merit in prayer itself. But if you are waiting for a good prayer you will wait in vain until you die.

The publican didn’t and couldn’t wait until he knew his prayer was true. Moreover, no prayer has ever been heard because of any intrinsic value of the prayer. Humility cannot move heaven. The publican knew that. Therefore he doesn’t place any value on his humility. Had he done that, he would have something to offer to God and then, in principle, there would have been very little difference between him and the Pharisee.

Be sure you understand that the attitude of your heart cannot move God. If you think that, you will end up in the dark. Humility consists in being dependent on grace alone. Many prayers have not been answered because in his wisdom God has determined otherwise. Yet a prayer for grace has never been rejected. The publican experienced this, for he went to his house justified.

Does the answer always come so quickly? Grace is all-sufficient, whether a crumb falls from heaven for the first time, or whether something more is given later on. The lesson here is that ultimately there is only one thing we should pray for—grace. Has that become your prayer?

What a short prayer! But for the Lord it is not too brief, for a prayer for grace is always accompanied by a broken heart. To ask for grace includes the acknowledgment of God’s righteous judgment and of our own lost condition. It means that we agree with God’s justice and confirm our sentence, even if our request would be rejected.

This is very humiliating for man. Because the crown has fallen from his head he must sink and perish, except he end up in the arms of God’s good pleasure—that is Christ. Christ is the only fountain of grace. He must do what we cannot do. To pray for grace is yielding oneself to the sovereignty of God and simultaneously resting in the mercy of God.

Such a prayer glorifies God. It is well-pleasing to the Lord when a fallen man acknowledges his fall before the holy throne. It is well-pleasing to the Lord when a prodigal son or daughter comes back in this way. Yes, the Lord waits for such a son or daughter. When they stood afar off and dared not raise their eyes, they could not see that there was a Saviour who was waiting to pay their debt.

Doesn’t this encourage you? The Lord is actually waiting to pay your debt. There is a Redeemer for the debts you owe and it is the Saviour’s joy to freely bestow his meritorious grace on publicans and sinners. We are never too wicked to come to Jesus. We can only be too good in our own eyes.

Do not despair then! Do not give up! It is Satan who keeps you away from the throne of grace, suggesting that you are too wicked, for Satan also knows that it is a throne of grace. He does not want you to end up in the arms of God’s mercy, and therefore he seeks any means to keep you from the closet. To one he says, ‘You are good enough’ and to another he says, ‘You are too wicked.’

Because sin remains in us until our last breath, we will never get beyond the publican’s prayer. The closer we are drawn to God, the greater our sin seems to us. Before his throne, in his holy light, we always stand in need of more grace. Not only is grace experienced as a free gift, but it becomes a daily way of living in Christ. Otherwise we would perish. Therefore the last prayer to be prayed will be, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner,’ for only publicans and sinners are received at the gate of heaven.

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