Acts 17:26 And He made from one [common origin, one source, one blood] all nations of men to settle on the face of the earth, having definitely determined [their] allotted periods of time and the fixed boundaries of their habitation (their settlements, lands, and abodes), 27 So that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him, although He is not far from each one of us. 28 For in Him we live and move and have our being…
Luke 6:12 Now in those days it occurred that He went up into a mountain to pray, and spent the whole night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He summoned His disciples and selected from them twelve, whom He named apostles
When you read those two verses in Luke 6, it is obvious that as a result of spending all night in prayer the Father showed Jesus who the 12 apostles were to be. My question is, was it necessary for Jesus to spend all night in prayer to discover the specific ones who were to be His apostles. Couldn’t the Father simply just inform Jesus’ mind at any time who He should chose as the 12, instead of it taking all night in prayer.
It’s always important to remember that God is relational first and foremost. The triune God has lived in an environment of eternal companionship between the three persons of the Godhead. We get consumed with getting answers from Him, but He is consumed with enjoying our companionship in the pursuit. We want promises, and quick answers. He wants our presence, and our lingering fellowship with Him. Of course Jesus could have gotten quick direction from the Father as to who the 12 was to be, but it was the “all night in prayer” that was the real goal; not a solution to a problem, or an answer to a question. His presence, and our companionship with Him is our great reward. The gift of pursuit itself is greater than any other gift that might result from the pursuit. The journey before His face is better than anything His hand could ever offer us.