Advent: Seeking Christ Day 6

Day 6 Luke Chapter 6

“It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God” (v. 12 NASB).

There are so many wonderful things in Luke’s sixth chapter on which to write. The beatitudes, healing a leper on the sabbath, builders, and foundations built on the rock. This theme of prayer, however, arrests me once again. Two chapters in succession make the effort to note the prayer life of Jesus. Scripture once again exhorts us with Jesus, the Son of God, as our teacher in the importance of prayer. Prayer should not be some rote, liturgical, recitation, though there is nothing wrong with liturgical prayer, I have found some of the richest prose in prayers of liturgy. Prayer, though, is meant to be so much more. E.M. Bounds’ words on true prayer are enlightening:

“Prayer as a mere habit, a performance, or a routine, is a dead and rotten thing. True praying engages and sets on fire every high element of the Christian’s being. Prayer is born out of vital oneness with Christ in the fullness of the Holy Ghost. It springs from the deep, overflowing fountains of tender compassion and concern for humanity’s eternal good. True prayer is a consuming zeal for the glory of God; it involves a thorough conviction of the difficult and delicate work of the ministry and the imperative need of God’s help. Praying grounded on these solemn and profound convictions is the only true praying. And only ministry backed by such praying sows the seeds of eternal life in human hearts and builds others up for heaven. Ministry today may be popular, pleasant, attractive, intellectual, intriguing, and successful with little or no prayer. But the ministry which accomplishes God’s purposes must be born of prayer from beginning to end.”[1]

Jesus spent the whole night in prayer. The Scripture says that at daybreak He chose His twelve disciples. The decision was not made lightly, it was made in all-night prayer. Though He spent that night cloaked in prayer, one that He chose became a traitor. This illustrates that even betrayers may be allowed in your life to sharpen you; to drive you to your knees. 

This Advent season may not be a joyful occasion for many. The holidays can be a dark, lonely time for more people than we care to acknowledge. Let this time of rush and busyness and losing our breath in the day-to-day hustle of preparing for the holiday, not give precedence to slowing down, taking a breath, and praying so that we instead, prepare for Him.

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[1] Penelope J. Stokes, ed., E.M. Bounds: Power Through Prayer (Minneapolis: World Wide Publications, 1989), 40-41.

Advent: Seeking Christ Day 5

Day 5 Luke Chapter 5

“But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray” (Luke 5:15-16 NASB).

Jesus was busy. He came to help the hurting and the sick and the crowds thronged Him. He was going about the kingdom’s work. The news spread quickly concerning His ministry and people came from the surrounding towns and villages to receive their healing. He was constantly surrounded by crowds of people and the sick. Though there was much work to be done, the Scripture purposes to note that Jesus often slipped away from the madness and the crowds and the busyness to pray. The incarnate Son of God needed to take a break from all the good He was doing to pray and seek the Father.

Let’s remember during this Advent season to stop and pray. We may be doing great things for the kingdom—leading the choir, practicing the Christmas play, feeding the hungry, caring for the poor—we must learn to pause in the midst of the busyness of the season to stop and pray. Scripture takes the time to note this habit of Jesus to pray, if He needed to pray in stillness before the Lord, then so do we.

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The Prayer Of Our Great High Priest John 17

Sitting outside this morning and reading the Word. This was part of my reading—it is one of my favorite portions of Scripture. I wanted to share it with you because it stirs my heart each time I read this High priestly prayer flowing from the lips of my precious Savior—the altar of incense. I pray that as you read it too, He stirs your heart and that you are overwhelmed with the Love of the Father. 

Jesus loved us so much for this prayer to leave His lips and raise straight to heaven’s throne. What is so remarkable to me is that He prayed this beautiful prayer knowing that He was leaving this holy, sacred place into the heart wrenching betrayal by one of His friends whom He had just lifted to the Father in prayer {Ps. 55:12 HCSB}. The betrayal of a friend can be the worst pain, yet Christ prayed for him before the kiss of betrayal. Jesus knew that the son of perdition was lost because of what he was about to do, but this broke His heart. May this prayer bless you today.

The High Priestly Prayer

“Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.  This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.  I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything 

You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.’”

The Disciples in the World

“But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

Their Future Glory

“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”