“And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” - Luke 6:12
What has happened to prayer meetings? It used to be that churches would dedicate Wednesday nights for such an event. For some churches, the prayer meeting evolved in a Bible study class with a little bit of prayer sprinkled in the service.
At the turn of the twentieth century, R. A. Torrey led his church in a special prayer meeting on Saturday nights. These prayer meetings were developed so that God's people would seek the Lord for revival. The service typically lasted for hours and would go deep into the night. All-night prayer meetings were not uncommon.
We don't hear much about all-night prayer meetings today. In fact, most church members avoid a short prayer meeting. You can't count on many people to pray all night.
Yet our Lord prayed all night. In our text, the Lord went up into a mountain to pray. The Bible says that he, “continued all night in prayer to God.” From this text, I want us to consider certain things about this all-night prayer meeting.
First of all, the Lord chose a place to pray. In this instance, it was a mountain. Mountains (and hills) were significant in our Lord's ministry. He was tempted in the mountain by the devil. He was transfigured on a mountain. Ultimately, He would die on mount Calvary. In this case, a mountain was chosen as a place for an all-time prayer meeting.
Secondly, our Lord went there alone. The Bible indicates that Jesus did not take anyone with Him. While it is good to pray with others, there needs to be a time when we get alone with the Father ourselves and pray.
Also, we don't know what He prayed about. The Bible does not inform us about the content of His prayer. Some things are private and should remain that way. When we pray alone to God, much of our words are reserved for an audience of One.
Next, we don't find that He did this all the time. While He did get away for an all-night prayer session with the Father, we don't find that He did this very often. Perhaps there was something special that led Him to have this intimate time of prayer. There may come a time when we are called to extended periods of prayer.
Finally, I've learned that His private prayers were often long and His public prayers were normally short. Today, we tend to reverse this. Our prayers at church tend to be long while our private prayers are short. Our Lord models this the best. While there is nothing wrong with public prayers, most of our prayers in private should be detailed and personal.
Some speculate that Jesus prayed all night because He was about to choose His disciples. To be honest, we don't why Jesus felt the need to pray all night. Yet if Jesus felt the need for long, extended times of prayer, shouldn't we? We are utterly dependent upon God for the next breath, yet alone all the challenges of the day. I am not suggesting that we schedule all-night prayer meetings just for the sake of having them. However, I am stating that there are times we need to have protracted times of prayer.
Have you ever awakened during the night and felt the need to pray? Those special moments can be very rewarding. In the still of the night, we may meet with the Lord for a special time of fellowship and intercession.
Most nights, I try to get as much sleep as I can. Yet I am thankful that the Father never slumbers nor sleeps. Whether I pray all night long, or I wake up with a need to pray, He is there to hear me when I call on His Name.
Most of all, I am thankful that Jesus intercedes for me right now. Day or night, He is on the throne and speaks to the Father on my account. Intercession was not just a ministry of Jesus during his life, it is an ongoing ministry today. Whether anyone else prays for me or not, I am assured that His intercession is getting through to the Father and makes a difference.
Our sleepless nights should be powerful times of prayer.
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