It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12 NAS95)
Jesus clearly wanted time with His Father to consider the full weight of His upcoming decisions. Despite His busyness and the demands of ministry, He took a whole night to converse with His Father. Jesus had periodically experienced interruption from others when He sought communion with God, even in early morning hours. He wanted to guard against such interruptions, so He chose to go into seclusion at night when most people sleep.
This verse has challenged my thinking on prayer, not because of the seclusion or the night time, but because it lasted the whole night. The length of time in prayer pointed to a real experience in conversation with God engaging the heart. Jesus had a dialogue with real interaction from His Father. I imagine the discussion concerning choosing the 12 went through many considerations relating to each of them. After all, the future leadership of global disciple-making rested in the men Jesus would choose as a result of that night.
Another challenge also faced me in this verse: Jesus returned the next morning not only confident in His choice of the 12, but refreshed and invigorated for a full day of ministry. This informed my understanding of the quality of communion Jesus enjoyed with the Father. The experience of that night energized rather than exhausted Jesus. I can only imagine the conversation with His Father infused Jesus with confidence, hope, encouragement, acceptance and love, which possibly accounts for His energetic approach to the new day. I want to lean into that kind of prayerful interaction with God — it's world-changing!
For Reflection:
“Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him [God].” (Exodus 34:29 NAS95)
- What are the decisions facing you in your life and ministry that make you long for extended conversation with God? What do you need to do to make those times with God a reality?
- As you reflect on your journey with Jesus, in what ways has His interaction with you left you feeling loved, encouraged, energized, confident or hopeful? In what circumstances did those kinds of conversations with Him occur?
