Lonely Places
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16 (NIV)The word “lonely” strikes me as odd. The Beatles sang mournfully of “all the lonely people”— a vulnerable state of being to avoid. But Jesus chose a lonely place. Not a place where he could be alone. I understand alone; I like a certain amount of solitude. But “alone” is not the word God used.
Christ was fully human and fully divine. He could relate to us on a human level, but who in the world could relate to him on his God-level? His divinity imparted upon him a loneliness no one on earth could approach or alleviate. Jesus well understood that he had a place in his heart where only He and his Father could go.
We all have a spirit, the part “created in His image,” the part that seeks to know God. When we accept Christ as our Savior, His Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. Romans 8:16 states, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” The Holy Spirit and ours unite—the divine with the human. Suddenly, miraculously, we have a lonely place.
I am so grateful for my lonely place. Sometimes I get so busy that I forget about it. But it tugs at me and I go. I give my Savior and Lord my sins, hurts, and fallibilities. I allow His healing presence to forgive, soothe and invigorate. He then fills me with His peace, His love, and His power. It is a place where only I can go, but I am never alone in my lonely place.
Dear Lord, thank you for never leaving us alone. May we find comfort in your presence and rely on your strength. Amen.
By Angelia (Kansas, USA)
