It’s Me, O Lord

We teach children to pray with their eyes closed. Parents, Bible School leaders, and Sunday School teachers all do. I guess that’s because children are easily distracted otherwise, and besides, there’s nowhere to direct their attention outwardly because they are praying to a God who is not seen. So we instruct them to bow their heads and fold their hands (probably so they don’t pinch their neighbor) and shut their eyes and grow very quiet in preparation for prayer.

Now I know that they - and we adults - don’t really have to pray with eyes closed, but even if we don’t close them physically, there’s a good case for praying with the eyes of our heart closed tightly. Closed against the cares of our lives that are filling our field of vision. Closed against the distractions and temptations that vie for our time and attention. Closed against the terrifying mirages the enemy throws across our path. Not because we want to pretend everything’s perfect and life’s challenges aren’t real, but because we want – need – for a few moments to see what is more real and more powerful and more important – Jesus. And we need to see those challenges through His eyes.

If only the Pharisee in Sunday’s parable had done that! Instead, he saw himself magnified many times over, and felt compelled to describe what he saw to God and everyone within earshot. He saw the tax collector standing some distance away, and compared himself quite favorably with the unfortunate man. He saw the works he did as his justification before God.

I don’t know if the tax collector had his eyes closed, but I do know he wouldn’t lift them to heaven. He didn’t look God in the eye; he didn’t look at the Pharisee; he ignored the rest of the people in the temple. His inner eyes were closed to all that. It was just him, standing in the need of prayer… and God, who he knew to be gracious and merciful.

Again, it’s not a matter of physically shutting our eyes. It’s a matter of inwardly shutting out every other urgent voice and becoming totally present to God alone.

I wonder how much our prayer times would improve if we narrowed the focus to “God and me.” If we quit talking up what we’re doing for Him and comparing ourselves with others and excusing our shortcomings and failures. If we just bowed our hearts in His presence and received His mercy and grace to cover all our sin and all our need.

I think we might please the Lord, set an example for anyone watching our lives… and go Home justified.