Monday 13 November 2023

Luke 6:12-19

¹² One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. ¹³ When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: ¹⁴ Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, ¹⁵ Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶ Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

¹⁷ He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸ who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, ¹⁹ and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

There is power in prayer and Jesus knew it.  In fact, Jesus was diligent in prayer.  He went to a specific place to pray, and He spent all night in prayer we read here in verse 12.  It occurs to me that I do not have the diligence of Jesus in prayer.  He was committed to prayer, and He was the Son of God.  I am caught with the thought that Jesus, who was fully man and fully God was committed to prayer at a level I am not, and I am only fully man.

Father, help me to be diligent in prayer, not making excuses – simply choosing to pray – when it is convenient and when it is not!

Written by Ps. Richard Botta