Read Luke 6:12-13

As you read today’s Scripture, it’s clear that Jesus really values prayer.

We can learn a lot from His approach: He went to a place with few distractions where He could focus and spent the night praying.

The night!

We aren’t told what He was praying about but, based on verse 13, I have to assume that there was a great deal of focus on who was to make up the group of apostles.

Talk about an important decision, He was deciding who He would entrust with the future of the Church!

Even with the future on the line, He still chose Judas who He knew would betray Him and Peter who He knew would deny Him. I have to believe He was first and foremost seeking what God the Father wanted Him to do.

We have great evidence of Him putting the will of the Father first when we look at Jesus’ prayer the night before He died a horrible death on the cross.

He knew what was going to happen to Him and, yet, look at His prayer in Luke 22:42:

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

He is saying, “Father I really don’t want to have to go through this BUT, if it’s really what you want me to do, I’ll be obedient and do it.” As we know, He did go ahead and die an agonizing death on the cross which He could have stopped at any time. Instead, He chose the Father’s will.

So, as we come to important decision points in our lives, whose will wins – ours or our Heavenly Father’s?

Will we truly be looking for what God wants us to do or will we be asking Him to bless what we have already decided? Will we be laying out our timeline or will we accept God’s timing if He says wait or what about if He says no?

I’ve often thought about who is better equipped to make the decisions in my life:

Me, a finite, flawed human being who can only see a tiny part of the big picture OR a loving God who knows everything, past, present and future; who is all powerful and who died for us so we can have a relationship with Him?

I choose God!

Please take the time to pray before making decisions; God is listening and wants to help.

Mike Molter