Pray First (#OneMinuteMondays)

Mondays typically arrive with a long list of things attached. You pick which illustration you want to use. If Monday were a train, then it would be a long train. If it were a wheelbarrow, then it would be a loaded down wheelbarrow. We could add many of those types of word pictures. You get the point.

My encouragement for you today relates to prayer. My goal certainly isn’t simply adding one more thing to your list. However, for each of us, if it was good for Jesus, it probably will help us as well. Let me explain.

Notice Jesus’ Pattern

Throughout Luke’s Gospel we observe a similar pattern with Jesus’ work. In this small text, it becomes very clear:

¹² 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. ¹³ And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; ¹⁵ Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; ¹⁶ Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

¹⁷ And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, ¹⁸ as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. ¹⁹ And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. ²⁰ Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:… (Luke 6:12-20)

As He does six other times, Jesus goes up to the mountain. Luke explains that Jesus prayed all night. As the day arrived, Jesus then called the twelve Apostles and went down the mountain to serve multitudes of people. In the process of serving, He also taught the Sermon on the Plain.

For the sake of this #OneMinuteMonday, notice Jesus’ priority:

Prayer precedes Service

One Note About Jesus… and Then About You

Not to be silly…but do you remember Who Jesus is? Jesus is God. Jesus is the God-man. Although He humbly and obediently came to earth while setting aside all the accruements of pre-incarnate life, He still remained God. But as a human, He chose to pray.

Friend, if Jesus prayed all night before serving all day, wonder what our capacity of service is when we fail to pray?

As you get started on this Monday and new work week, prayer first then everything else.

Image Credit Suzy Hazelwood