Luke 6:12-16

Luke 6:12-16 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Luke 18:1-8 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, WILL HE FIND FAITH on the

earth?"

Have we lost the art of sustained prayer? Jesus prayed all night alone: spent the night praying to God. Praying takes the same kind of faith that brings us salvation and healing: the belief that God is, that He loves us and wants the best for us. Without that kind of faith, we won't pray. When the Son of Man comes, WILL HE FIND FAITH on the earth? Jesus had faith that God was listening to him at all times, yet He set himself apart from others and prayed. Many who are reading this have busy lives; activities and duties fill your lives to such a degree that you only quickly whisper prayers as you progress through your day. However, others of us with lots of time also fail to set aside time for sustained prayer. We, too, tell ourselves, "I am too busy to pray." Sadly, the attitude, "I just don't have time to pray," is often an indication of weak faith, not a strong belief in God. People with weak faith don't really believe God will change their lives. Such individuals tend to believe things will go on as they have whether they pray or not. However, people with strong faith know God intently listens to every prayer they say to him; HE CARES ABOUT THEIR LIVES, and He wants to do good to them. This kind of faith motivates people to pray more. Televisions, computers and Blackberries do not satisfy that kind of faith; nothing will steal away their time with God.

Jesus prayed all night for a reason. In the morning He chose twelve disciples out of a large crowd of his disciples (vs 17). He prayed all night but He got Judas too. He prayed and Judas was one of the answer to his prayers, and Judas was a thorn in his flesh throughout his ministry. Why Judas? Because God had plans for Judas. God had plans to bring salvation to all people. We pray and a Judas pops up in the results, and then we quit praying, for we are discouraged. We claim, "God doesn't answer. Things are the way they were before I prayed. Why pray?" Sometimes we get up off our knees and quickly find circumstances much worse than they were before we prayed. So why pray? Well, we pray as a demonstration of faith that God is, that He hears our prayers, and that He is faithful. We pray because God is a reality, not a figment of our imagination. We pray because we believe God's words; we pray because we have a saving, healing faith within us. Are we all healed or delivered when we pray? No, but we are all heard. Are we going to get the perfect twelve after we pray? No, a Judas might pop up, but we are still answered, for God intends to do good for us, his beloved children.

Faith is an immersion in God's plan, God's life. People with strong faith know God stays in contact with his loved ones at all times. They know God will hear their whispered prayers. Nevertheless, people with strong faith know sustained sessions of prayer are restorative, are necessary. They reinforce faith. In Old Testament God repeatedly says, I will not answer you in times of trouble if your heart has turned from me. Otherwise, don't expect God to be there if you are not serving him daily. Don't expect him to get you out of the foxhole if your desires up to that time have been totally worldly. God desires a continuous relationship with his people. Good relationships take time. In our day, activities and the electronic media have eroded that time with God. The Bible says, in the last days scarcely will faith be found. Otherwise, few will be found on their faces seeking God, few will believe He is really concerned about their lives enough to have sustained prayers, few will walk the walk God has planned for them. Now God often does show up at that foxhole even when we have not done our part, but how much better if we have been a person of faith, one who believes that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Let us pray.