The fact we know Jesus prayed often, but we know little of what he prayed for, with the exception of John 17, speaks to the vitality of Jesus’s private prayer life. In the next two instances of Luke mentioning prayer, he gives two examples of Jesus intentionally praying in a solitary place in Luke 5:16 and Luke 6:12. As we’ll see, Jesus’s time in prayer renewed his strength and fortified the faithfulness of those for whom he prayed.
Regular Private Prayer Renewing Strength
Luke 5:16 (ESV) But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
Jesus appears to withdraw to a desolate place to renew strength in private prayer. Jesus withdrew, as John Gill states in his commentary, “that he might have rest from the fatigues of preaching and healing diseases; and being alone, and free from company, might have an opportunity for private prayer to God.”[1] Jesus being both fully God and fully man was subject to the exhaustion of human flesh. Thus, Jesus’s habit of renewing strength through private prayer is given not only to provide us with an example to follow, but also to demonstrate the human nature that Jesus assumed on our behalf. Jesus’s earthly ministry was sustained through regularly retreating to commune with the Father in prayer.
Special Private Prayer Fortifying Faithfulness
Luke 6:12-13 (ESV) In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles.
In the second instance, Jesus prays as a prefatory work to calling and sending out his disciples. Rather than appearing to be a regular pattern of Jesus’s prayer life—a pattern that would not be humanly sustainable—this appears to be a special occasion for prolonged fervent prayer. The special occasion is the setting apart of the 12 as distinct from his other followers. In chapter 5, Luke has already told us about the initial calling of some of the disciples to follow him. The list here immediately following Jesus’s all night of prayer is a complete listing of the 12. In this instance, Jesus is setting them apart from the rest of his followers and disciples as apostles. His prayer, an exercise that lasted the entire night, seems to be in preparation for the ministry of those he was to call as apostles.
Application
Set a Time and Place for Regular Private Prayer
Jesus’s example is one that ought to spur all Christians on to cultivate a regular private prayer life. It would be most helpful to identify a specific place and time to set the conditions for victory. No plan is a plan to fail. Jesus had a plan. He set his place and time of prayer. What is yours? He would withdraw to desolate places or to the mountainside away from the crowds and distractions of ministry—he had a place. He would do so in the mornings and evenings—he had a time. His time and place set the conditions for victory to have a focused time in prayer. How have you set the conditions for victory in this area of your life? Personally, I make sure my phone is set on Do Not Disturb. I get to the office early with the door shut. I use my Tactical Daily Prayer Guide as an outline for my time each morning. You can download your free copy here: https://www.matthewcbryant.com/free-prayer-guide.
Determine Occasions for Special Efforts in Prayer
Luke’s example of Jesus’s special effort in prayer was a private prayer time, but insisting that all special efforts of prayer should be private from this would be missing the principle. Jesus prayed privately for the appointment of the apostles because it was an appointment that only he could give. John Calvin in his commentary encourages us to follow Jesus’s example when selecting or appointing pastors churches: “But if he, who was full of the Holy Spirit, (John 3:34,) implored the Father, with such ardour and earnestness, to preside in the election, how much greater need have we to do so?”[2] The election that Calvin is speaking of is the election of the disciples to the office of pastor. If Jesus took such care to pray to the Father to fortify the faithfulness of these disciples elected, chosen to, the apostolic ministry, how much more should we implore the Father for those chosen to the care and guidance of our churches?
Does your church intend to call a new pastor? Has there been a special effort of prayer by the elders and members of the church?
Do you think you should seek a new vocation? Have you given special effort in prayer to this decision?
Do you think you should marry? Have you given special effort in prayer over your prospective husband or wife?
Do you want to have children? Have you given special effort in prayer over your barrenness, like Hannah or Zechariah (1 Sam. 1-2 and Luke 1:13)?
Do you want to start a business? Have you given special effort in prayer over your dealings past, present, and future?
Do you have a ministry burden in your home, neighborhood, community, or abroad? Have you given special effort in prayer for God to open doors to declare the word of Christ (Col. 4:2-4)?
An Example from Church History
The occasions for special efforts in prayer are many. My encouragement for you is to join your private efforts in prayer with united efforts. Pray with other believers. Church history is full of examples of the united efforts in prayer that fueled the private prayer of individuals and fortified the kingdom efforts of individuals, churches, and societies. One of my favorite examples comes from the eighteenth-century Evangelical Revival. In 1784, John Sutcliff, pastor of the Baptist church in Olney, England, issued a call to prayer at the Northamptonshire Baptist Association’s annual meeting. His fellow Baptists and others outside of the Baptist denominational connections answered the call. Sutcliff stated, “Who can tell what the consequences of such an [sic] united effort in prayer may be!” Believers throughout Great Britain would pray regularly for the revival of religion and the expanse of Christ’s kingdom to the “most distant parts of the habitable globe.” Churches coordinated their individual efforts and agreed to pray on appointed days on a quarterly or monthly basis. This practice continued for decades in many churches throughout Great Britain. One consequence of united prayer throughout Great Britain was the creation of what became known as the Baptist Missionary Society, the society which sent William Carey to India. Carey became known to church history as the father of modern missions, spurring the modern missions movement.[3] They formed the society in 1792, nearly a decade after the initial call to prayer. The connection between these two efforts is undeniable. The Baptist interest in sending and supporting missionaries to distant lands and nations began with praying for the salvation of lost souls around the globe.
[1] John Gill, An Exposition of the New Testament, vol. 1, The Baptist Commentary Series (London: Mathews and Leigh, 1809), 555. [2] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 254. [3] James P. Eckman, Exploring Church History (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2002), 78.