“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles.” (Luke 6:12-13, NKJV)
Our lives can at times feel like a row of dominoes. One thing bumps up against another, which in turn bumps another. And the end result is a real sense of being overwhelmed and in real need of help … of wisdom to make the right decision … to act or speak in the right way! The right way is being the way that God would want us to conduct ourselves. (Romans 14:12)
When reading and reflecting on the short life and ministry of Jesus Christ … the place and relevance that He placed on talking with His Heavenly Father is obvious. So, whether it was before a major event or situation … He is found in prayer and seeking wisdom from the Father.
In the context of Luke 6, we are not told what He said … but we do know something of the significance of the issues that were involved in what He was about to make known to His disciples. It would be on the shoulders of these men who now be identified as His apostles … the responsibility of carrying on the work of preaching the gospel to all the world.
Some of these men were weak; one would even deny that he even knew Jesus … while another one would actually betray Him into the hands of His enemies. What better way to reflect on His choice and their future than to pray to God? I don’t know if that particular night seemed long to Him, but when the morning light broke … He was ready for His decision to be made!
James instructs us in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” What reassuring and comforting words for each of us to accept and give permanent residence in our own hearts!
Who among us does not need wisdom to deal with so many of the complexities of daily living? Relationships need attention … things need prioritization … families need our time … we have duties and obligations as we serve our Lord daily. There are health challenges that can absolutely bring us down to our knees … there are financial concerns that can paralyze us … and there is heartache and heartbreak of lost love or the passing of a loved one or dear friend.
We can lean on those we have confidence in, but they are also dealing with their own decisions and conflicts. But not our God! He does not absent Himself from our approach and the expression of what’s on our minds and in our hearts. He welcomes our petitions! And as James points out He never tires of hearing the requests of His children … which as humans we can truly appreciate.
And we must never allow our enemy to persuade us in some way that either God doesn’t always hear our prayers or always answer them. Sometimes His answer is ‘no’ while at other times ‘wait.’
Back to those dominoes that just want to keep coming and falling. James teaches us to turn to our God much more than most of us actually do. And he tells us by inspiration that when we do … it will help and enable us to come out of the fog more mature … more like our Savior (Philippians 2:5-8)!
Psalm 116 is an extraordinary expression of love addressed to God! The writer sets forth several magnificent truths about God’s goodness and deliverance in the following verses 1-2:
“I love the Lord, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.”
He has been good to us, and we need to be sharing His goodness with others. He wants us to be hungry for life, to treasure every day He entrusts to us. When you have a quiet moment, read the entire psalm, expressing your own heart of gratitude to our loving Lord.
Don’t hesitate to call on God for help.
Tell your Father that you are running out of strength and energy and hope . . . that your mind, soul, and body need to be refreshed by insights from the Word of God
He is waiting to give His wisdom to you!
Bill Fairchild, Jr.
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