S) "12 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:"
Luke 6:12-13 (NASB)
O) This is a very interesting passage to me. On the one hand, it presents an excellent example of taking a decision quite seriously and seeking God through prayer before making such an important choice. It's quite the aspiration, to pray all night to God about a topic such as this. And then I wonder how that prayer actually unfolded. Did Jesus have particular people he wanted as apostles, and the Father had a different list? Was there discussion about how many apostles there would be? Did they talk about Judas Iscariot, who would eventually betray Jesus? These are interesting questions, but ultimately, what I do know, is that this is a model for devotion and submission, seeking the will of the Father before making a serious choice.
A) I wonder how I should gauge what requires this type of prayer. Like, how do I measure that something is so important that I need to pray all night? I'm sure there's no way to really qualify something like this. I suppose it would start smaller and build up. Like, if I've been praying about something for a while, but I can't discern an answer, maybe it's time for an all-nighter. Or, on the other hand, maybe I just go for it anyway. I mean, it's not really ever a bad thing to pray all night, right? It is a little intimidating, though. I'm definitely going to keep this example in the back of my mind, and remember it the next time I'm facing a big decision.
A) I wonder how I should gauge what requires this type of prayer. Like, how do I measure that something is so important that I need to pray all night? I'm sure there's no way to really qualify something like this. I suppose it would start smaller and build up. Like, if I've been praying about something for a while, but I can't discern an answer, maybe it's time for an all-nighter. Or, on the other hand, maybe I just go for it anyway. I mean, it's not really ever a bad thing to pray all night, right? It is a little intimidating, though. I'm definitely going to keep this example in the back of my mind, and remember it the next time I'm facing a big decision.
P) Father, I want to be like Christ in every way in my life. I especially want to reflect his submission to Your will, and I want to duplicate the way he sought after you. Holy Spirit, remind me of this passage when I need to seek the Father's will about something important. Lead me to prayer, even if it takes all night. Let me be faithful in my patient search for what You would have me do, LORD. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.
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