So Jesus explained himself at length. “I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing. (The Message)

Someone observed that all Jesus’ movements were ‘according to a divine timetable.’ Isn’t this part of the reason why ” Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)? His earthly ‘ministry’ flowed out of communion with His Father. The Father showed Him what to say, what to do, where to go, who to be with. During those three years, our Lord did not do everything; He did not meet every single need in Israel. But He did walk in step with the Father.

I am convinced that this is a vital key to effective Christian service: i.e. consistent communion with God. ‘Deep calls to deep’, and deep within we know it. I cannot think of one biography of a pastor/missionary/Christian leader I have read, where prayer was not their heartbeat. They followed Jesus into the ”lonely places” and prayed.

‘The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private profound communion we have with God.’ Oswald Chambers.

Chambers also said, ‘If you have ever prayed in the dawn you will ask yourself why you were so foolish as not to do it always: it is difficult to get into communion with God in the midst of the hurly-burly of the day.’

I once heard about a missionary, greatly used by God. Someone asked him. ‘What is the secret of your success?’ He replied, ‘I watch what God is doing and go and join Him.’