A Place of Our Own

 Of course every aspect of who Jesus is fascinates me...I'm in complete awe of everything that He IS...but there are a few things that get me in more intense ways than others.  One of these things that speak to me in special ways has to do with His personality.  I am always intrigued by how He commanded audiences of 5,000 plus (Matthew chapters 5 through 7 as one example), called us to pray in groups (Matthew 18: 20) and chose His disciples to walk alongside with Him during His earthly ministry...and yet...He often retreated to solitary places to pray...even in His darkest hour, in the garden of Gethsemane, when He took His inner circle of friends with Him to keep vigil...He also said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” (Matthew 26: 36)

I bet today's phycologists would categorize Jesus as an "ambivert," a person whose personality has a balance of extrovert and introvert features.  To me, He is just acting like a perfectly normal human being: He preaches in the temple, on the mountains, to friendly crowds, to people who want to trick Him, in homes of friends and of tax collectors, He goes to weddings and hangs out at funeral gatherings, but it comes a moment when He needs to gather to Himself and fellowship with the Trinity on His own and pray alone.  He keeps the people in close proximity, but He takes a few steps and goes a bit further still...

I don't pretend to know anything...but to me...I just think that after all the commotion, He needs time to breathe and commune in solitary, private, personal intimacy with The Father and The Holy Spirit in prayer...the most perfect way to connect and communicate with the Divine...in a place just of their own.

Like Jesus, it is also important for us to set aside time to be alone with the Lord...fellowship with others, prayer groups, support systems, service groups, ministry alongside our sisters and brothers in the faith...sharing the Kingdom and our testimony could all be very energizing, but also overwhelming to our senses and to our minds and hearts...often draining us and leaving us like our phones after a day of constant use without plugging them in.  There comes a moment that we need to find a charging station so we can plug ourselves back in and be revived. That's what prayer in solitude does for me.  As much as I love gathering together to pray, and as much as I need that more than I need air...I also need to have that time in which I go "over there and pray" by myself...even if still in proximity of others, even if I can still hear them and see them...but in a spot all by myself.

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that you will fill our lives with opportunities to serve you in ministry and gather together to pray in groups with the faithful, as well as give us opportunities to have one-on-one intimacy with You at a place that is just ours, so I may know You better and grow closer to Your Heart.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, Our Role Model in Prayer and Life.  Amen!