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

–Luke 6:12-16 (TNIV)

Luke spends a lot of time in his Gospel telling us about Jesus’ prayer life. He doesn’t tell us what Jesus prayed, but that he prayed regularly. The pattern seems to be that before important decisions in his ministry, Jesus withdrew from the crowds and spent a goodly amount of time in prayer, seeking the Father’s guidance. Paul’s great exposition on humility and obedience in Philippians 2:1-11 immediately comes to mind as we see our Lord in prayer.

Perhaps this helps explain Jesus’ remarkable composure during crisis events in his life. If our Lord felt it necessary to seek the Father’s will in his life, how much more so should we who are terribly broken do so.

How’s your prayer life working for you?