It's easier and more respectable to pray,"God, be merciful to me a sinner!" than to have to pray, "God, be merciful to me, a fool!"

To be a fanatic is almost worse than being a sinner. It's easier and more respectable to pray, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" than to have to pray, "God, be merciful to me, a fool!" The Bible holds out little hope for a fool, but every hope for a sinner.

Upright, non-adulterous King Saul confesses, "Behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly" (1 Sam. 26:21), but he died in despair. David confessed his deep, dark sin of adultery-murder, and was saved (Psalm 51). The spiritual disease of fanaticism is all but incurable because "vain imaginations" crowd out common-sense truth (Rom. 1:21). We never read that King Saul prayed, "God, be merciful to me, a fool!" But that "little hope" is there for the fool if he can bring himself to be honest and lowly enough to pray that almost-unheard-of prayer, because the promise is clear: "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered" (Joel 2:32).

Can you imagine someone who was mightily tempted to think that he was a fool? And probably prayed, "Lord save me from being a fool!" Abraham (when he was Abram) had heard the Lord tell him he would become "the father of many nations," would have children in number as the stars, would be a blessing to all the world, etc., etc. And what happened to confirm those grand dreams? Nothing, nothing, decade after decade. Do you suppose he ever wondered if his memory had played him false, that all he had was delusions of grandeur?

A Boy at the age of 12 dreamed of being the Lamb of God, the world's Savior, who heard a Voice from heaven declare Him "My beloved Son." But He ended up after all those dreams of glory apparently like a common criminal--worse than the two thieves crucified with Him--they were just simple sinners; no one scorned them for having delusions of grandeur. But His ridiculers "cast the same in His teeth" (Matt. 27:44).

If you are "a child of Abraham" (Jesus was!) you will be tempted to think that God's promises to unworthy you of answered prayers are delusions of grandeur. Abraham avoided fanaticism because he saw the cross of Christ (John 8:56). No one can be moved by Calvary and end up a fanatic.