Day 157: How long do you pray? - Luke 6 vs 12 -19

12 One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. 13-16 At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names: Simon (whom he named Peter), Andrew (Peter’s brother), James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (who was called the zealot), Judas (son of James), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

17-19  When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil spirits were healed. Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone. Luke 6:12-19 New living Translation (English Standard Version link)

How long are your prayers? That’s not a question to make you feel guilty, but just to pause and ask oneself what priority do we give to prayer. Look what vs 12 tells us about Jesus.

We gather from the Bible that Jesus didn't spend every night like that, so what do you think was the reason for that long night of prayer?

I suspect it was because of what he was going to do the next day, which we read about in vs 13-16. He had many followers, but the time had come to choose twelve who would be with him constantly for the next few years so as to witness his life, and then continue the work he had started. And because this was so vital – Jesus knew the importance of seeking the Father's will. It's likely that he not only prayed about which ones to choose, but took time to pray for each of them individually regarding all they would face in the future.

So when it comes to how long we pray for – much depends on what the issues are. Long prayers don't necessarily mean we are more spiritual. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:5-8: “When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

That encourages me because I find praying for a length of time quite a struggle. But Jesus clearly says that God is not looking at how long we pray, but looking at our heart. He knows what is on our heart before we've even started to pray. We can pour out our requests knowing that he hears us. There may well be times when we are facing very difficult circumstances or really big decisions in our life, and then we may find ourselves needing to pray longer. But, even then, God knows our circumstances, so we don't need to try and twist his arm with many words.

Verses 17-19 describe the tremendous popularity and success Jesus was having among the people. Do you think prayer was significant in all that, and why?

I'd suggest that one reason prayer is important is because it's through prayer that we lay hold of God's power for all we do. Not only spreading the gospel, but serving Him in whatever role we have in life. His strength will enable us to be better husbands and wives and better sons and daughters. But prayer will also humble us if God should use us in any way that makes us popular and prominent in the eyes of others. To kneel before God is a good way of remembering that we are but servants – and that anything remarkable we may achieve is because He is a God who hears and answers prayer.