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No one in history could have been more certain of their call than Jesus. Jesus was well aware of the purpose for his entire life and ministry, including the journey to the cross. In total confidence Christ understood his calling and he “steadfastly pursued his task” (Kruse, C, 1983, 1)
Yet in Gethsemane Jesus prays with great anguish, his body cringing at the pain and suffering to come as he cries out to God. He is adamant, however, that God’s will be done and after wrestling in prayer three times, his resolve is firmed in God’s plan and his soul strengthened through his dependence on his Father. Then while his accusers and betrayer walk up the hill, Jesus stood, “with his sleepy disciples, [waiting] in perfect composure for all that was to follow” (Matt 26:36-46) (White, J, 1977, 147).
If one so confident was still dependant on prayer for guidance and strength, how much more do we, in our ministries, need to be dependent on God for the same reasons?
Solitude
“Solitude… draws us into the very place from which so much of our efforts are designed to help us escape – being truly alone with God without agenda” (Blanchard, Hodges, 2005, 155). Jesus’ habit of solitude is well recorded. Before beginning his ministry he spent 40 days in the desert (Matt 4:1-11), before choosing the twelve he spent an entire night alone (Luke 6:12-13), after hearing of John the Baptist’s death Jesus withdrew by himself in a boat (Matthew 14:13) and there are numerous accounts of him going alone into the hills either before or after being with large crowds.
“It was out of a leader’s wilderness preparation that Jesus was so effective in his public life of service” (Shawchuck, Heuser, 1993, 41). Jesus gives us the divine model of prayer in ministry. He shows us that it is only through spending time away from the busyness our ministries create, and relishing specific time alone with our God, can we then return our work in any sort of effective manner.
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