By Austin B. Tucker
Mark tells us in a later chapter that Jesus again slipped away from everyone and "went up on a mountainside to pray" (Mk.6:46 NIV). And Luke tells us that "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" (Lk. 5:16 NIV). And on one occasion "Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray and spent the night praying to God" (Lk. 6:12 NIV).
When Congress was trying to solve the school-prayer issue a while back, one proposal was to mandate a "moment of silence." Students could choose to pray or not pray. One teacher said: "I would be delighted for congress to give me a moment of silence in my class at any time for any reason!"
If Jesus put prayer ahead of any other ministry, maybe we should too.
Peter expected Jesus to jump in response to the clamor of the crowd. Prayer did not appear to be a priority to Peter. Or to the other disciples. Or to the gathering crowd. Jesus did not let any of them set his agenda. We are not told on this occasion what Jesus prayed, but that he was praying. We might like to have more of his prayers in the sacred record. But then, this same passage also describes an extensive preaching tour of Galilee, and we don't have a single report of one sermon on that tour.
The word translated "to pray" is pretty much the generic, comprehensive word for prayer rather than a word that might describe petition or intercession. It is not hard to imagine Jesus spending time in praise and adoration of the Father. Probably he laid before the Father the preaching tour they were about to begin. Do you think such prayer might have something to do with his amazing mastery of his own destiny?
Perhaps he prayed as he did in Mt. 11:25-26: "At that time Jesus said, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth . . . Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." Whatever his prayer, he found a renewing of spirit. As Isaiah said centuries before: The incomparable Jehovah, Sovereign and holy Creator, the everlasting God gives strength to the weary and power to the weak. Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength — to soar, to run, to walk and not faint (Isa. 40:21-31 summarized).
Surely this retreat from the clamoring crowd to the quiet and comfortable bosom of the Father had much to do with the ability of Jesus to resist the pressure of the world to press him into their mold. We don't discipline ourselves to pray as we should. And in that, we do not follow Jesus as we would. Look at Jesus for a glimpse of what a real prayer life could be — and do.
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Sermon brief provided by: Austin Tucker, a teacher and writer living in Shreveport, LA