Chronicles of Crank

As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning (Luke 9:29). Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” (Luke 9:18). He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field (Luke 10:2).

                It would appear that God is trying to speak. As I have been reading through the Gospel of Luke recently, I have begun to notice the number of times Jesus is either praying or encouraging others to pray. Although I have read this Gospel many times, some of the references have startled me this time.

                For example, Luke is the only one of the Gospel writers to describe the Transfiguration with the words “As He was praying…” (9:29). Luke is also the only Gospel writer to introduce the story of Peter’s Confession with the phrase, “When Jesus was praying…” (9:18). The second verse of the next chapter includes Jesus’ command to pray that “the Lord of the Harvest [would] send out workers into His harvest field.” And the chapter closes with Jesus’ praise of Mary’s devotional heart over Martha’s constant activity.

                I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t understand prayer. I cannot explain why the omniscient Father needs for me to ask Him to do what He wants to do. But for some reason He does.

               It probably is wrapped up in the idea of relationship. We often compare the communication between God and His people with the communication between a couple who are dating. This communication goes beyond words in that as their love develops and matures, they begin to understand what makes the other “tick” – what  his/her values are, what makes them angry, how he/she responds in times of stress and struggle. This illustration breaks down in that neither of the dating couple has infinite knowledge and wisdom, but the illustration still describes what a combination of prayer and the Scripture will do for us. We’ll get to know His character, especially the infinite nature of His love for men made in His image.

                      Far more than our service, God our Father wants us. He desires the fellowship of His worshipping people, and in the process of that fellowship, He longs for us to acquire the heart He has for a rebellious world of His image-bearers. We may never fully understand why He longs for His people to pray; we may never fully understand why Jesus’ example of prayer is so pervasive in Luke’s Gospel; but we can understand that it is this process of communication – back and forth, prayer and Scripture – that infuses His values into our hearts. Perhaps I should say, “It is ONLY this process…”