With You In Spirit*

"I am with you always." Jesus told his disciples as much right after He told them to go into the world and disciple all the nations. And more or less right before He was taken into Heaven. So,  obviously, He was speaking in spiritual terms.

Of course, like anything, repetition  and lack of context can often make us lose the meaning -- and import -- of what is said. I wonder how many times I've told somebody, "I'll be with you in spirit." So, while my friends are doing whatever (usually unpleasant) task for which I found a reason to be absent, I'd be, what, thinking about them? Maybe. Actually, it's doubtful even that is the case, really. But we say it so often, don't we?

But what Jesus was saying is so much more meaningful. When He said,  "I am with you always," yes, sure, he meant I'm with you in Spirit. Except that, for Jesus, it isn't figurative. For Jesus to be with us in spirit, means He is literally with us. In fact, being In the Spirit means He is with us more completely than we can ever be with somebody even in the same room.

So, if that's the case -- that Jesus is with us literally at all times, praying without ceasing doesn't seem quite so daunting,  does it? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Prayer is something more than this uniform, spoken letter to God, beginning with "Dear Jesus," and closing with "Amen." Prayer is a constant conversation with an ever-present Lord.

When is the last time you spoke to Jesus as though He were in the same room with you? Considering He told us He actually is, it might be worth trying.


*Today's devotional was inspired by a recent "episode" of Radio Free Babylon's "Coffee with Jesus" comic strip.