A Humble Prayer
Do you realize that the first person to be with Jesus in paradise was a thief! What could be more scandalous than this? Lest we pass hasty judgement on the thief, let’s qualify who he was.
Although he was a thief, the man was forgiven and unconditionally loved and a man who, by faith, believed that he was loved by Christ. By faith, he confessed his sins and acknowledged that his punishment by crucifixion was just. By faith, he prayed: “Lord Jesus, remember me when You come to Your Kingdom.
The thief believed! Though lacking in deep theological understanding, he possessed a broken heart that expressed genuine repentance. He dared to step further in faith by asking or praying that the Lord remember him in His Kingdom. How remarkable! Jesus said more than “Yes” to his plea. The Lord said, “I will be with you in paradise.”
To be in paradise is a great leap from hell. But to be with Jesus is even greater than paradise or heaven itself. The thief’s humble prayer reveals that an authentic conversion took place in his heart. You see, prayer is the link to conversion. Prayer did not save him. God honored his faith, and his faith was expressed in prayer! The prayer of the dying opened the door for eternal life with the Lord!
His short prayer was not even a prayer accepted by the standards of religion in that time. Remember, this was a thief’s prayer, not a theologian’s. Yet, it makes me reflect deeply on how many prayers of religious people are full of nice words but void of faith. This thief prayed, not out of religious eloquence, but from a broken heart that fully depended on God for mercy!
Contrary to the expectations of religious leaders and perhaps to the surprise of the thief, the power of the Gospel unfolded. The thief encountered the scandalous reality of grace. Today, hope is alive for many other thieves. The thief’s prayer has become the prayer of many others. I’m sure that in paradise and in heaven, there will be congregations of former gangsters who received grace in a similar way.
What grace is this? Maybe you’ll ask, “Why did the thief wait until he was dying to repent?” Dr. Warren Wierbe’s insight is right: it was the thief’s first time to hear the Good News, and the first time he encountered the Savior. So, he couldn’t wait for another time. There and then, he believed, and he prayed! He made it by faith in Christ!
This is an excerpt from The Language of Grace by Arnel C. Tan, available at OMF Lit Bookshops, shop.omflit.com, Shopee, and Lazada for P295.
In The Language of Grace, best-selling author Arnel C. Tan shares his thoughts on one of the subjects closest to his heart: Prayer. For Pastor Arnel, prayer is more than just a few words of thanks said before meals, the long-winded proclamations from the pulpit, or the dry murmurs of tradition. Prayer can be an adventure, a journey that takes us beyond our comfort zones and into the very presence of our Heavenly Father.