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By Patrick Mulvehill

Luke 6:12-13 "In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came,..."

Forgive me if I stray from the weekly reading, but I was struck by this verse the other night as I was reading to the boys at bedtime.

"In these days..."

Crazy days! Days full of meeting the needs of the masses. Days of being criticized by religious leaders. Days of doing miracles that amazed the world. It was in those crazy, busy days that Jesus...

"...went out to the mountain to pray..."

Jesus got away from all the people, from all of the work, from all of the craziness....to pray. This is social distancing at its finest! We aren't told what he prayed for, but we know that the very next day He selected the 12 disciples that would be with Him for the rest of His ministry. I imagine that His prayers were focused on the twelve and the people that He would encounter in the days to come. The sick, the hurting, and even those that would crucify Him in the end. In the midst of all the craziness, Jesus prayed for them.

"...and all night he continued in prayer to God..."

It wasn't just a "Lord, thank You for this food" kind of prayer. No, this was an all-night communion with the Father. The kind of prayer time that you don't finish until the Spirit of God Himself releases you. The kind of prayer that you are so determined to get an answer for that you will lose sleep over it, even in the craziest of days. When was the last time you prayed like that? What did you ask for?

"...and when day came..."

This is the part that gives me goosebumps. Let me ask you something, "Is there anything that can stop the day from coming?" I have been alive on this earth now for 48 years and not once has the day failed to come. Not once! Here is the deal friends, THE DAY IS COMING! It can't be stopped! It won't be stopped! God hears and answers our prayers. We only need to stop, go out to our mountain, and pray. Pray hard! Pray long! Don't stop until the morning comes. Not only does the mean that God hears and answers our prayers, but it is also a reminder that HIS day is coming. The day when HE will return to claim us for His own. The day when the craziness of this world will pass away and we will spend eternity in Heaven with Him.

Come quickly Lord Jesus, come.

By Allan Bosson

Our reading for this week will take us from Deuteronomy chapter 6 to chapter 23. 

Deuteronomy 6 is without question one of the most important and informative chapters in all of God’s Word. In fact, to Jews, it is one of the most cherished passages in all of their Bible, or Ten arch. Actually, it is one of the very first passages a young Jewish child is required to know and understand well. They commit the principles of this chapter to memory, certainly before they ever begin to face the real world outside of their homes. The interesting truth, however, is that to a Christian the principles outlined here are just as important as they are to a Jew. 

There is so much one could say about Deuteronomy chapter 6, but let me just outline three points of importance to Christians. First, in chapter 6:1-9, the writer of Deuteronomy urges us to begin life well—make sure you get it right! Beginnings are very important. For example, in the construction business, the foundations of any structure are the most important. Failing foundations lead to failing facilities. This is also true in music, athletics, and academics. If we get off on the wrong foot, then almost everything that follows is detrimentally affected for sure. 

Second, in chapter 6:10-17, the writer of Deuteronomy emphasizes that we must be realistic about life— make sure you keep it real! To dream is not wrong but to live in a “dream-world” is very wrong. When things are going well and we feel truly blessed, it is easy to drift away from where we first began and to forget who it was that got us to where we are. When we forget our beginnings, we can lose sight of who we should truly depend upon and whom we should thank for the good times we are experiencing. When that happens, we can easily drift into a world of false confidence and false dependence. As the writer of Deuteronomy tells the people of Israel, if you forget to correctly acknowledge who made you and established who you are, it is very likely you will lose what you possess, or at the very least, greatly diminish your present blessing. 

Third, in chapters 6:16-25, the writer warns us not to make foolish, self-inflicted mistakes—make sure you don’t have regrets! We only pass through life one time. Because of the nature of life, no one can go back and undo the foolish mistakes and regrets of the past. For that reason, the importance of carefully reading and obeying God’s manual on life, the Bible, cannot be overstated. God’s eternal promise to all obedient believers is that if we diligently study His Word and obey it, He promises to bless us and all our generations to follow. What the writer is emphasizing here is that life is not just about fun and laughter, though there is a place for that. Life is first about faith and loyalty, and it is extremely important that we get these priorities right.