“Luke 6:12-16”

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

“It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.”

---End of Scripture Verses---

Jesus understood how important an effective prayer life is for keeping balanced during the daily stresses of life. We learn a lot about Jesus’ prayer life from what is said in Luke 5:15-16 – “But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” The Lord was continually thronged by people who bombarded Him with their worst problems and He always made time for them. Jesus never turned anyone away, but He did often steal away to private places to pray. It comes as no surprise that in today’s reading we see Jesus going off alone to a mountain to pray.

“Jesus spent the whole night in prayer to God” (verse 12). This statement is pure amazement to me. I often find it difficult to pull off a good ten minute prayer. Life’s daily activities are sometimes so tightly pressed together that squeezing in a few minutes of quiet prayer time seems to be a herculean task. When I do take a good chunk of time to pray, my mind often drifts and darts to the things I have done and the tasks I still need to do. And when I pray at night before bed, I’d better not try to do that while lying down. I will slip into slumber seconds after starting the prayer. And yet Jesus prayed all night long. If Jesus found time to pray in solitude, and if He prayed this much, it must be a vital part of spiritual life. I must do better. I must try harder. If Jesus could stay focused in prayer all night, I can and must learn to do that for stretches of a few minutes or more. I must schedule the time in advance if necessary. I must put myself in places and my body in positions that are favorable for staying alert and staying awake.

This particular night that Jesus spent in solitary prayer immediately preceded the day that He chose and appointed His twelve apostles. While prayer is always an important part of daily life, and we should seek God’s assistance with all the decisions we make, prayer is particularly important before life’s major decisions. Sometimes we stress over major life events because we want to be certain that we are making the best choices for ourselves and our family. Let’s remember to include the One who has all the power and who knows what’s best for us in the decision-making process. Philippians 4:6 tells us to not worry about anything, but pray about everything. The more we pray, the less we stress, the better the outcome.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)

Please read Matthew 5:1-20 for tomorrow – Sermon on the Mount – The Beatitudes.

Have a great day!

-Louie Taylor

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