prayer

(Written February 9, 2012 in my journal)

I read this morning Lk 5:16 "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."

I've always tended to think of prayer as getting strength, guidance, healing, direction - but it occurs to me just now that maybe it's more about just being with You, in close fellowship, friendship, love, relationship ... directly in Your Presence, focusing on You, with You, seeing/ experiencing Your love, Your glory, Your greatness, Your care, Your truth, Your reality, Your closeness.... You! 

Jesus must have been so lonely for You, Father; his earthliness/ humanness had to be a kind of shock because our fleshly existence with all its business just to "survive," to make it day by day, does "drive a wedge" in some ways.  Our sense of Your Presence, our focus on You, is so easily distracted - by ourselves as well as by the demands of life and of others.  Jesus perhaps didn't have quite the same problem with his "human nature" as we do (or did he?), but He sure had the world and people and all their distractions.  In big ways, more than I've ever had, I'm sure.