And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
Jesus, whom Christians believe to be the Son of God, was facing one of the most consequential decisions of his ministry: choosing twelve men — called apostles, meaning 'sent ones' — who would carry his mission forward. Before making that choice, he didn't hold a meeting or review credentials. He climbed a hillside alone and prayed through the entire night. These twelve disciples would become the foundation of the early church. The fact that Jesus himself felt the need to spend hours in sustained prayer before a major decision reveals something profound about how seriously he took both the stakes of the choice and his dependence on God.
Father, teach me to pray the way Jesus prayed — not as a formality, but as if everything depends on it. When I rush past you toward my own answers, slow me down. I want to trust you enough to stay on the mountainside until morning. Amen.
There's something almost startling about this image — Jesus, the one Christians believe holds all authority in heaven and earth, climbing a hillside alone and staying up all night talking to God. Not an hour. Not a quick prayer before bed. All. Night. Long. He was about to choose twelve ordinary, flawed men who would carry his entire mission forward after he was gone. You'd think that would be an easy call for someone who could see into human hearts. But he prayed anyway — which makes you wonder what he knew about prayer that we've largely forgotten. What decision are you circling right now? The kind that keeps you awake at 2 AM, running through options, second-guessing every angle? Jesus modeled something here that doesn't get talked about enough: serious decisions deserve serious prayer — not a thirty-second blessing before rushing ahead, but the kind of sustained, unhurried conversation with God that actually costs you something. You don't have to manufacture the right words or feelings. You just have to show up on the mountainside and stay.
Jesus is described as the Son of God throughout the Gospels, yet he still spent an entire night in prayer before choosing his disciples. What does that tell you about the purpose of prayer — is it about informing God, or something else entirely?
Think of a significant decision you've faced in the past year. How much time did you genuinely spend in prayer about it, and what did that look like in practice?
Do you believe prayer actually changes outcomes, or do you think it primarily changes the person praying? How does your honest answer to that question affect how — and how often — you actually pray?
Jesus prayed before choosing the people he would invest his life into. How might that kind of intentional prayer shape the way you approach your closest relationships — who you let in, who you invest in, who you trust?
What is one significant decision or relationship in your life right now that deserves more sustained prayer than you've been giving it? What would it look like to set aside real, unhurried time for that this week?
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Mark 1:35
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly .
Matthew 6:6
And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
Luke 5:16
And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
Mark 14:36
And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
Matthew 14:23
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
Matthew 14:25
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Colossians 4:2
Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Hebrews 5:7
Now at this time Jesus went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.
AMP
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.
ESV
It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.
NASB
The Twelve Apostles One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
NIV
Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
NKJV
One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night.
NLT
At about that same time he climbed a mountain to pray. He was there all night in prayer before God.
MSG