Prayer mountain

Luke 6:12-16 NKJV

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.

Jesus had a huge decision to make - who out of the large following should He call to be His disciples?

Surely Jesus should know straight away? He, who knew the hearts of humans, shouldn't need any prompting, should He?

Now there's a thought... it seems He did, so what does He do?

He goes to a lonely mountain to spend ALL night in prayer.

Imagine the Son of God needing to do that! We need to remember that Jesus had "laid aside" some of His Divine attributes in order to identify with our humanity.

Why to a mountain - what's so special about that?

Perhaps because it lifts up and distances from everyday life and gives a panoramic view of things...

I compare it to the sad way I have made decisions: asking advice, googling information, a bit of prayer mixed in on top! Sometimes ending up more confused. Not very impressive, is it!

If Jesus needed to isolate in order to see things from the Divine perspective, how much more me:

Isaiah 40:22 NKJV

It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

I've often used plane journeys to clear my mind and see things from God's angle. Peering out the small window and looking down on majestic mountains, cities and vast expanse of ocean puts issues in focus as the Lord sees things.

Whatever else we do to make our decisions in life, we need to pray more and deliberate less.

Listen out for God's direction, free from distractions, in the quiet place.