Insights
Jesus spent the entire night alone, praying because He faced an important decision and He wanted God's guidance. Notice that He had many disciples, followers who were learning from Him, who believed in His teaching, but these "apostles" were to be taught personally, not in a large group. They were to be trained by Him to take His message to the world.
These "apostles" (from the word meaning "to send,") were ones to be sent. In this case, sent into the world with a message. Others, including Paul and Barnabas, are called apostles (Acts 14:14) but these 12 are special in that Jesus appointed them "that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach."
The names are a little different in each list since they often were called by more than one name, as Matthew was also called Levi and Simon was called Peter. Bartholomew and Nathanael were the same person, and Judas the son of James was also called Thaddeus. Each time they are listed, Peter is always first as the recognized leader and Judas Iscariot is always last because..... well, that's obvious. Notice that Jesus prayed intensely before choosing the Twelve, and one of them was Judas who later betrayed Him. Sometimes what we may perceive as a mistake is part of God's plan.
So What?
If Jesus felt the need for intense prayer before making an important decision, surely it's even more urgent for us to do so! Spend some time in prayer over any decision that troubles you or could affect your life. Are you seeking to learn from Him, do you follow His teachings in your life, are you faithful?
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