Kingdom Power

Luke 6:12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray and spent the night praying to God.
 
ONE of those days Jesus went to pray. That phrase should give us pause to consider is an essential substance to advance the Kingdom of God on earth. A constant warfare of flesh and spirit against the gospel message attempted to disrupt Jesus’ saving ministry. Opposition confronted our Lord through the devil’s temptation in the desert, overwhelming fatigue as crowds pressed against him and the Pharisees’ very persistent rejection of Jesus’ authority.
   What then does Jesus, who is fully man and fully God, do in this battle? Jesus goes for help. We recall from Luke 4 that Jesus was not about Kingdom business on his own. The Father and the Spirit are intimately involved. The Father showed to the Son what he must do and say. The Spirit gives the Son power and discernment to know how to fulfill the Father’s mission. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” (Luke 4:18a) and the Son does as empowered.
   That’s why Jesus stopped his work for a night. He needed to receive the Father’s knowledge and the Spirit’s reviving power. You could compare his needs to the weary pastor going to his leaders to say, “I need help.” He is the worn-out missionary who longs for rest from the unstoppable oppression around him. He is the husband and father who needs some quiet time to be strengthened as a man of God. He is as the weary wife and mother who needs revived strength for all the love and care her family requires.
   The Son of Man needed some quiet, empowering time to fully engage with his creation. That’s why Jesus went to pray.
   King David defined this type of prayer time in response to his weariness and weaknesses due to opposition:  Psalms 109:4 In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. Read of David’s life in 1 & 2 Samuel and note how David is our example of our souls need for prayer. Recall the great opposition he faced from his enemies, his own people and his own family. He knew where to go to be revived into God’s purpose for his life. And you will also remember that sin corrupted David’s family when he stopped seeking God’s help.
   Regardless of the opposition you face today, whether it be weariness of the flesh or of the soul, be as Jesus, the man, and Jesus, the Lord. Pray for the Father’s knowledge and the Spirit’s power to fulfill the Son’s gospel in his Kingdom on earth.