Readings for today: Deuteronomy 2-3, Luke 6:12-38, Psalms 67, Proverbs 11:27
“In these days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12)
Passages like this have been an enigma to me for most of my life. I learned to pray with my mother. When I would grow up, we would pray every night before bed. “Now I lay me down to sleep...” It was the same prayer followed by the same requests for family and friends. What it lacked in depth, it more than made up in creating a discipline that continues to this day. As I grew older, I layered in the Lord’s Prayer that I memorized in church. Eventually, I grew more comfortable so my prayers became more conversational. I would tell God all my fears. All my struggles. All my heartaches. Even though I wasn’t sure He was listening, I still kept up the habit. Then I came to faith in Christ. All of a sudden “prayer” took on a whole new meaning.
I fell in love with prayer. I treasured my time with God. I looked forward to spending time with Him. He became the first thought when I woke up and the last thought before I went to sleep. Even so, praying all night? Not in my wheelhouse. In fact, anything longer than ten or fifteen minutes was a stretch. Most of the time I would just fall asleep. So I’ve always felt a little guilty when I come across this verse and others like it.
But then, in 2009, I faced the greatest crisis of my life. My marriage was struggling. My relationships with my kids were strained. My work was cratering. I was depressed and anxious and afraid. I couldn’t sleep. I would stay up most nights pacing the floor. And in those moments, I turned to prayer. I cried out to God. I searched the Scriptures. I began to intentionally listen for the first time in my life and God answered. He confronted my sin. He assured me of His forgiveness and grace. And He directed me to the changes I needed to make in my life. My marriage began to get better. My relationships with my children improved. I received clear guidance to resign my job. God began to heal my heart. But I still wasn’t getting much sleep so I kept on praying. Now my prayers were for the future. Where would we go? What would we do? How would I provide for my family? For three straight months I averaged about two to three hours of sleep a night. But again, God was faithful to meet me there. In the darkness. In the silence. In the middle of the night with only the Bible for company.
It was a powerful time for me and it taught me something about Jesus’ prayer life. Praying all night was not necessarily Jesus’ regular practice. That would be impossible. Jesus was fully human and needed rest. But when Jesus faced a difficult situation. When Jesus needed guidance. When Jesus was choosing the Twelve or dealing with the emotions of His imminent execution, He spent the night in prayer. He turned to His Heavenly Father for strength and wisdom.
Most of us are carrying a heavy load. We are stressed. We are struggling. We are depressed. We are afraid. We are anxious. Many of the people I meet with tell me they have a hard time sleeping. But rather than turn to prayer, they turn to their technology. They scroll Twitter or Instagram. For hours. And never receive a bit of comfort. If anything, it only adds to their stress. Eventually, their mental health is impacted. Studies show a direct correlation between the amount of time we spend on social media and the high rates of depression in our society. So let me offer a radical suggestion. Instead of turning on your phone, go to your Heavenly Father in prayer. Talk to Him. Spend time with Him. Get your Bible out and sit in His Presence. Listen for His voice. Let His Spirit minister to you as only He can. In this way, you will find yourself praying like Jesus.
Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 4, Luke 6:30-7:10, Psalms 68:1-18, Proverbs 11:28