Jesus And Fervent Prayer

3 days ago
3 min read

Having encountered some strikingly irresistible, factual promises about fervent prayer, which were lifted up out of the lines of a hymn by Henry Burton, we are led to look at what St. Luke tells us about Jesus in prayer. We go to Luke 6: 12 – 16, where Luke paints another vivid and most descriptive scene of fervent prayer. It is fervent prayer, because we know that in Jesus, lies the very Breath of God. Here is the Scripture passage

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: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

Jesus has gone to pray and from the first sentence, Luke makes certain facts of prayer very plain for us, where we learn much about fervent prayer from Jesus. We note the:-

Attention to prayer – He went out to pray.

Prayer is deliberate and thought out. This is planned action, for Jesus had to leave where He was to go out to pray. How attentive are we to prayer? How deliberate is prayer in our lives?

Atmosphere of prayer – To the mountain.

Note, Jesus wants atmosphere, the atmosphere of quiet, of stillness, no distractions or little distractions, if any. The mountain speaks of loneliness, of remoteness, of peacefulness. Is this not what is meant when Jesus, in speaking to His disciples about praying says this? But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6: 6. How private is prayer for us, when we wish to be alone with God? Do we leave all behind to deliberately make space for prayer?

How serious are we about the atmosphere of prayer, when we wish to be alone in communion with our Heavenly Father?

Administration of prayer – Prayed all night.

This is all night praying. My mind is immediately taken to a parent or a nurse, who administers cold rags on the forehead of the one wracked with a dangerously high fever, and does it all night, until the fever breaks. Many things are done all night. We party all night to celebrate some special event. We study all night for a particular important exam. We stay up all night just to see an announced heavenly phenomenon. The point is that all night activities are commonplace, but is this the case with prayer?

What is our administration of prayer like? Are we quick to leave or are we persistent in listening and hearing from Father God?

Attitude in prayer – When it was day.

I found this to be extremely instructive, corrective and compellingly activating. Here is the attitude Jesus takes to prayer in this case. When it was day, He left off that praying. He chose the night for praying as He had an important work to do in the morning. This is our Lord’s attitude to pray, how much He respects prayer, believes in prayer and engages in prayer to be able to face the great and awesome work for His Father’s Kingdom. Many of us have important decisions to make, for example, and we do all kinds of studying about it, reading about it, discussing it with knowledgeable people, and more besides. Perhaps we each should learn from Jesus. He left it all and cleared His head by going off to a place of solitude and there He communed with God. What’s my attitude like?

When I am faced with important life-altering decisions, do I go and stay locked in with my Heavenly Father?

Action after prayer – Jesus’ first action, His first work after that all-through-the-night praying was: to call, His disciples together; to choose twelve of them; to confer a new name on them.

Tomorrow we continue, aware that we are expecting to be taken on a very surprising path.