Luke’s Gospel has a frequent focus on prayer. I have been restudying the prayer life of Jesus as part of my preparation for a series of presentations designed for Latin American leadership training.
Jesus’ life reveals a cycle of prayer and power, mountainplace and marketplace. This oscillation hardly seems accidental. Jesus prayed at his baptism (3). [Numbers in parenthesis are chapter numbers.] After 40 days in the desert and his temptation, he ministers with power (4). After spending periods of prayer alone with God, the power of the Lord is present to heal (5). Before he chooses the Twelve, he prays (6). He calms a storm (8) and sends forth his followers with power and authority (9). He is praying before Peter’s confession and Jesus’ announcement of his passion (9). He is praying before the Transfiguration and as he prepares for the journey to Jerusalem–the journey for which he has come to earth (9). He prays powerfully and his disciples ask him to teach them (11). He teaches about persistent prayer and prayer without pride (18). He models prayer in the Garden (22). Luke catches this rhythm of Jesus life in a comparison of 19:47-48 and 21:37-38. He prays on the cross (23). He is recognized by the two men on the Emmaus road when he blesses the bread (24).
What is it God wants from your life? Have you found it possible or impossible, easy or difficult? Could it be that our greatest challenge is our lack of prayer–lack of time spent with God and lack of contact with the power of God in our private mountaintops? Is this the explanation of why his power is absent as we minister and serve in the marketplace?
In Luke 22, Jesus had the custom of prayer–he was accustomed to prayer. Seek your closet and pray. Commune with and communicate with God, find in prayer your commitment and your cup, your cross and the power for conquest. Jesus arose from prayer refreshed and resolute–the disciples arose from sleep weary and tired.