Do Your Prayers Tell on You?

Do you remember the story Jesus told about two men who went to the temple to pray? One was a Pharisee who thanked God that he wasn’t like other people and proudly listed the things he did right. The other was a tax collector who simply acknowledged his sin and asked God for mercy (Luke 18:9-14). It’s easy to see the problem in the Pharisee’s prayer, but what if we turned the microscope on ourselves? If we took an honest look at our own prayers, what would they reveal about us?

So let’s have a little fun and see if we’re more like the Pharisee or the tax collector.

The Prayer Life Test

For each question give yourself:

2 points — Often/Yes

1 point — Sometimes

0 points — Rarely/No

1) When you pray, how often do you spend time thanking God before asking Him for something?

2) How often do your prayers focus on other people’s needs rather than primarily your own?

3) When you face a difficult situation, do you primarily pray for God to change the situation, or do you ask Him to help you grow stronger and develop the character needed to get through it?

4) When you pray for forgiveness, do you specifically acknowledge the shortcomings, weaknesses, and wrong attitudes you recognize in yourself, or do you simply ask God to forgive your sins?

5) Do you ever ask God to reveal attitudes, habits, or behaviors in your life that you may not recognize yourself?

6) When you pray about a problem involving another person, do you ask God to examine your heart and your part in the situation too?

7) When you pray for something, are you truly willing to accept God’s will and His answer, even when the outcome isn’t what you hoped for, trusting that He knows what is best?

8) When you look at what you regularly pray about, do your prayers reflect spiritual maturity and a desire to grow closer to God, or do they primarily revolve around your own wants, problems, and circumstances?

Time to grade! Remember, there are no perfect scores because there’s always room for us to grow. The goal is to recognize where we are and be willing to let God take us further.

14–16 points — Good job! Your prayer life is pointed in the right direction. Your answers suggest that your prayers reflect a growing relationship with God, spiritual maturity, and a willingness to look honestly at yourself.

9–13 points — You’re on the right track, but there’s room for growth. Your prayer life has some good foundations, but your answers may reveal areas where you can become more intentional about self-examination, spiritual growth, and trusting God’s will.

0–8 points — Your prayer life may need some work. And that’s okay. This is a starting point and not a final grade. Recognizing where we are gives us the opportunity to build a stronger prayer life moving forward.

I want to thank you for participating. It’s not always easy to turn the microscope on yourself and I discovered a few things I need to work on too. A healthy prayer life is more than how often we pray. It includes thanking Him; recognizing our own shortcomings; asking Him to help us grow through difficult circumstances, and praying for others all while trusting in His wisdom. 

Think about it.