…and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called unto Him His disciples, and of them He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles. Luke 6:12,13
The twelve disciples didn’t just happen along and get added to Jesus entourage in a haphazard manner. No, the selection of the twelve was from a larger company of followers that had gathered on this occasion. Some were already stalwart followers, and each had experienced a personal call from the Saviour. Various accounts of these individual calls are recorded in the early chapters of each of the Gospels. But when it came time to make the selection of the twelve, Jesus gathered them together and made it official. But before He did so, He spent the night in prayer on the mountainside. He presents for us a wonderful example of how to make important decisions.
The selection of the disciples was very important. These twelve men were to enter three years of training, after which they would become the leaders and teachers for the Lord’s people as Christianity was launched and as Assemblies were planted far and wide. Jesus knew what each of these men would bring to His band, and He selected them accordingly. Some would provide great leadership and direction; others would offer inquisitive minds and studious tendencies; others would be practical in their approach to preaching the Gospel and being a help to others. From this assortment of personalities, potentials, and skillsets, Jesus found a working group that would receive His instruction and reflect His purpose. Such an important task as assembling the list of disciples, and later the apostles, could not be entered into lightly. So Jesus spent the night in prayer before he began the selection.
We need to make important decisions as well. Some of them are relatively small and not of any great significance in our lives, such as the purchase of a piece of furniture or a car, or where we will spend a vacation weekend. Even these things we should commit to God in prayer, although God does give us the common sense to determine what is best. But matters such as our life’s vocation, a marriage partner, where we will make our home, and what Assembly we will be part of, these are weighty matters with major consequences. For these and many other matters we must seek the Lord’s direction. And we must follow that direction when He makes it plain.
If Jesus needed to spend a night in prayer before selecting His disciples, how much ought we to be in prayer before making our decisions? -Jim MacIntosh