This is the Truth Network. Encouraging prayer. God offers an open invitation for His people to talk with Him at any time about anything. On Encouraging Prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray.
And now, here's James.
Well, how fun today on encouraging prayer. You know, in such a time as this in the spring, getting ready for Easter and Passover and all those things. I can't think of a better time, James, to soak in prayer. That's a great lead-in. That's what we're talking about today: soaking prayer.
And uh it's a term that sometimes people consider a uh contemplative approach to prayer, but it's so much more. than that. And I want to go there today by looking at Luke chapter 6. Verses twelve and thirteen. It says 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.
Now, Here's the striking thing. It begins with Jesus spent the night praying to God. How do you do that? You know, think about that. How do you spend an entire night praying to God?
That challenges us because often we have trouble praying for five minutes. and we may feel like we're repeating ourselves and You know, so let's talk about that a little bit. What would you do, Robbie? Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Oh, way to challenge me right out of the chute.
You know, like most whales, it's one bite at a time.
Well, let me go to the Lord in prayer. And often... I I like to check with him like, are we done? Like, is there something else before you have me do what it is you've asked me to do? Yeah.
If he starts putting something on my heart to read. You know, or study, or you know, it's that kind of fluid. Um for me it's You know, the it I I loved Eugene Peterson's um The the idea's biographer explained that he had a conversational intimacy with the scripture. And so a lot of times when I'm in Scripture, I'm soaking in. In my view, I'm soaking prayer because That's part of the experience.
Right, right. And I find it can be the same thing when you're reading a devotional work. If you're mindful before God, you're just sitting.
Sort of like a student in the classroom and you're attentive to him. Lord, what are you saying to me? through your spirit. I think that's right. You know, sometimes when you see this online, again, you see it described as seeking an experience with God.
And it's not that, really. It's being with God whether you get something from Him. or not. You know, it's a step of faith where you just recognize, hey, I may not be feeling anything right now. but I am just with him and I want to be in his presence.
And you see this in a few different ways in Scripture. One of the ways you see it is right here with Jesus. What did he do right after? He he spent the night praying to God. Yeah, he immediately had Experience with the apostles and slash disciples.
Right, he chose the twelve apostles.
So he did it before he had a significant decision. You know, it was like he just had to be with Abba Father. He just had to sit. in front of him and and You know, just receive from him whatever God wanted to give.
So Again, you do this whether you get something or not. The main goal is, again, just being with God. But yes, you want to. Saturate yourself, if you will, with thoughts of him. You want to do what Jesus did.
Notice that he He withdrew to a mountainside.
So he went to a quiet place. If you're going to to try soaking prayer, Uh which is really just soaking in in Jesus and and soaking in the Spirit and in the presence of God, then And it it has to be a quiet place. And then um Hey eye. you know, obviously it was there that that I'm sure he had to be listening to God. Uh as you were saying.
And and then he was able to choose from of all of his disciples, he was able to to designate. the twelve apostles.
So again, if Jesus is our example in everything, this whole idea of taking long extended time, especially when you have a a lifetime decision to make. Oh, it's vital. I mean, you know, the Twelve Apostles uh affected world history unlike uh anyone else. I have so many questions about that, I can't help but just jump in. And say, okay, so He and the father are talking that night, and you know, I guess I always assumed.
I guess wrong. that they knew from all time who the apostles were going to be. And they knew that Judas was going to betray him. And one of those that he chose was Judas. Right.
Yeah. Yeah. So it's kind of a neat thing to think that they weren't deciding who they were going to choose as much as talking about what the experience had been in the relationship both with them and with these men.
Well, keep it keep in mind, Jesus was fully God and fully human, so he limited himself. in being fully human the father knew he went to the father he said that everything that You know, he he received, that he made known to us was was from the Father. And so I you know, I think he is in a position of saying, you know, Lord Where are we? Where do I go? With this.
But also, I want to mention this whole idea of being with God for an extended time. Um Some people use music. for that and and that can be wonderful. You also see an example, another kind of soaking prayer. And we've talked about this before in persevering in prayer, but in some ways it's more applicable to soaking prayer because it just happens within a matter of Of you know Probably couple hours.
Is Elijah in Elijah Uh in 1 Kings 1842, where Elijah goes up and he overlooks Mount Carmel. It's one of my favorite passages, and God has already promised him to send rain. But rain hasn't come, you know, so Elijah. Sits in this position of prayer with his head between his knees, and he sends his servant the check, you know, and sends him back seven times. And so you know, go again, go again, go again, and each time He's praying.
He's just Father. Oh, it's beautiful. What a but a perfect opportunity for us to soak, James. Oh, let's do it. Father, we praise you.
We praise you. just for your love for us. And that we can come to you, and that you want us before you for extended times. And that's hard. for us, but Lord help us.
Thank you that you will. We look to you in faith. And we look forward to it in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray.
