All-night prayer

Jesus praying - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 6:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles." Luke 6:12-13

Two interesting facts about Jesus stand out from today's reading:

1. He had unusual insight into people.

Of His interaction with the scribes and Pharisees we read "But He knew their thoughts…" vs. 8. However Jesus was truly human with a human's limitations of mind. In his Systematic Theology Wayne Grudem speaks of Jesus' human mind:

"The fact that Jesus 'increased in wisdom' (Luke 2:52) says that he went through a learning process just as all other children do …. This ordinary learning process was part of the genuine humanity of Christ. We also see that Jesus had a human mind like ours when he speaks of the day on which he will return to earth: 'But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son but only the Father' Mark 13:32" - Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 533.

2. He felt the need to pray, and prayed all night, before He chose the twelve disciples.

I wonder what He prayed about. No doubt He prayed about who He should pick. Did His insight help to guide His decisions? Perhaps He prayed for them. Luke mentions specifically that He picked Judas "who also became a traitor." Did Jesus have insight to the extent of knowing or intuiting who would betray Him at this early time in His ministry? He certainly knew later.

This passage underlines the importance of prayer for us too, especially before making pivotal, potentially live-altering decisions. If Jesus, with His insight, felt the need to pray all night at such a time, how much more do we need the direction, assurance, conviction, and power such times with God yield.


PRAYER: Dear God, how foolish I am  as I so often try to do life on my own. Help me to follow Jesus' example and bathe my decisions in prayer, recognizing how dependent I am on You. Amen.

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.