“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot.
“And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.
“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
‘Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
‘Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.'” Luke 6:12-21
Jesus walked and talked with wisdom, power, and purpose. All the time. Every sandaled step, every uttered word. He had many secrets to His magnificence- He was the infallible Son of God- but a distinct hallmark was His prayer life. After hours and miles of tuning in and giving out, He always made it a priority to pray. To breathe in prayer. To inhale and exhale in rich communion until He and His Father were finished, and He was refueled. There He found insight, energy, and power to minister and bless as He’d been sent to do: to heal, preach, and love to the end to present eternal life. (Genesis 17:22; 18:33; Luke 6:21-38; John 13:1-3)
We must take in to give out, and we must give ourselves to God in order to receive His supply. Press in toward Him, pray and call out to Him, and His power fills and flows for our pressing in and giving out with others. As our days, so is His sufficient strength when we are earnest in prayer. (Deuteronomy 33:25; Isaiah 33:6)
“Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
thy wings shall my petition bear
to him whose truth and faithfulness
engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since he bids me seek his face,
believe his word, and trust his grace,
I’ll cast on him my every care,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!” ~W. W. Walford (1845)
Are we so busy planning and going and doing we take neither thought nor time for personal dependence on God? Where do we attempt to dole out wisdom when we’ve not soaked it in from His word and Spirit? What weighty burdens need we release to Him in prayer? (Proverbs 3:5-7; 9:10; Romans 12:1-2)
“What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!” ~Joseph Medlicott Scriven (1855)
Lord, keep me coming and receiving from you so I can serve and bless as You intend.
As the rain and snow 