Talking to God

 "It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God." Luke 6:12

Last night I woke at 3 after only a few hours of sleep and was unable to get back to sleep.  As I sat in my recliner waiting for the night to pass I began to pray, to talk to God.  As I did my mind went to this passage ofJesus' night of prayer.  And I wondered....how do you pray through the night like that?

My mind wandered from prayer to worries of life to things I needed to do tomorrow and then back to prayer.  Focus in the dark hours is difficult.  But I thought, as I sat in the dark alone, what it must have been like for Jesus to spend the entire night talking to his Father.

How little I know about this God I love!  I talk to him, but my mind wanders.  I try not to ask for things, but I can't help it.  As best I can I worship, but it all feels so small.  

And yet Jesus spent the entire night in prayer.  I wonder what he and the Father talked about.  What did he say? What did he ask?  How did he worship?  Did he get sleepy like I did?  Was he weary the next morning as I am?

I know this- I have an amazing God and I value my time with him far too little.  To spend an entire night with God rather than sleep?  My normal response would be, "God, can we talk in the morning?"  And yet Jesus knew something I miss, valued something I don't, loved someone I only claim to love and that made all the difference.

After 4 or 5 hours of sitting in the dark, talking to God, wishing for daylight or sleep, I know this....I don't really know this God I claim or time in the night hours would have been much different.  And yet I long to spend a night like Jesus did, giving up sleep because time with the Father is so much better.