Daily Devotion

 

ENGAGE: Passionate Conversations

by | Jan 7, 2023 | Conversations, Daily Devotion | 0 comments

Talking to God all night. That’s what Jesus did the night before he chose his disciples. The appointments were too important. The Son desired clarity from the Father. Luke says it this way: 

Luke 6:12–13 (NIV)
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. 

What do you do when faced with a big decision? Stew? Brew? Strategize? Call friends for advice? Draw a line down the middle of an 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper and put the “Positives” on the left and the “Negatives” on the right? Maybe you read a book, or another book, on how to make a big decision. Well … how about doing what Jesus did?

Big decisions call for big times of conversation with God. Many disciples were following Jesus, but he needed to reduce the number. He desired to pour into those who would pour into others and pour themselves out with lives of sacrifice. He chose twelve to teach, train, and mentor. He would depend on these men to carry out the Father’s mission after he was gone. The future of his work depended on the names he would call. So, Jesus did the most important thing one can do when making a big decision. 

As it was for Jesus, so it is for us—big decisions call for big times of talking to God.

One more thing. When we submit ourselves to God in prayer and seek his leading, he will answer according to his plan, not ours. So after spending the night in prayer, Jesus called these men to step forward: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (Alphaeus’ son), Simon, Judas (James’ son), “and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor” (Luke 6:14–16).

Father, remind us that big decisions call for big times of prayer. And remind us that submitting to you means submitting to your plan. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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