January 27, 2008

"And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles." Luke 6:12-13

What a paradox! God praying to God! At times I find that hard to comprehend. Did not Jesus know everything? Wasn’t He omniscient? In fact, the Bible teaches us the doctrine of kenosis or emptying. (Philippians 2:6-8) God voluntarily limited Himself with human weakness and frailty. He grew hungry, thirst and tired. The Scripture also says that He increased in wisdom. (Luke 2:52) Apparently, Jesus limited His human access to His divine knowledge.

In this way, He allowed Himself to become like us, yet without sin. In this way, He accessed Divine wisdom in a way that sets the example for us all. He prayed. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." James 1:5

Our text reveals Jesus Going Up to the Mountain to pray. This was a place of solitude. He separated Himself from all distractions and spent the night atop the Mountain in prayer. When He came down from the Mountain, He had His answer and chose 12 apostles.

I find it difficult to ever conceive of the idea that Jesus would have made a mistake. He couldn’t. But perhaps one more reason He didn’t is because He sought the Father’s direction. Human wisdom would have certainly made different choices when it came to the Apostles. Don’t you think that John the Baptist would have been a far greater choice than Judas Iscariot? But God’s ways are not our ways. His wisdom far exceeds ours. John had one purpose to fulfill and so did Judas!

Jesus set the example for us when He went Up to the Mountain to pray. Will you accept this Mountain Top challenge? Get alone with God. Spend fervent time in prayer. Follow God’s wisdom rather than your own.