THE PILGRIMAGE OF PRAYER

The Simplicity and Power of Presence

Most people think prayer is primarily about speaking to God.

But some of the deepest things God does in us happen when we simply learn to be with Him.

My memory takes me back to when I was dating my now-wife many years ago. We were young and didn’t know each other very well. One time, in her attempt at a kind act of service, she prepared dinner for me—the first meal she had ever made for me.

I remember that day vividly. Unfortunately, not because of the excellence of the meal, but because of how dire the execution was. It was so bad that we ended up eating out that night.

Over the weeks and months that followed, we continued spending time together. She began learning how to cook some of the things I liked—not necessarily by being formally taught, but simply by being present and helping in the kitchen. Conversely, I began learning the things she liked and didn’t like.

I started staying away from spicy foods once I realized her threshold for “heat” was very low. She learned to avoid pickles, olives, and sour cream when cooking because those absolutely repelled my taste buds.

As our friendship deepened, something interesting happened. At some of our regular restaurants, she could order food for me without even asking what I wanted.

She was getting to know me—and I her.

There are some lessons that are learned in the discipline of a classroom, and there are others that are only learned in the proximity of presence.

Now, after more than two decades together, her cooking has far exceeded my own. I’ve learned which topics spark passionate conversations and which ones don’t. I’ve learned the small acts of service that leave a deep imprint of appreciation in her heart.

She knows my quiet tendencies when I first wake up in the morning, and I know her bubbly joy when she sees the light of day. And yes, we’re still learning about each other! 

Her parents, who raised her, will sometimes come to me for birthday and Christmas gift ideas. Not because they don’t know her—but because, over time, I have come to know her in a uniquely intimate way.

That kind of knowing only comes through closeness.

We have developed a deep friendship simply by being together.

The Mark of Those Who Have Been With Jesus 

I’m reminded of a passage in Acts 4:13 (NKJV):

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

There was a kind of boldness in Peter and John—a clarity and authority when they spoke—that left the religious leaders stunned.

Not because these men were highly educated.Not because they had formal theological training.

But because they had been with Jesus.

Their intimacy with the Lord overthrew the limitations of their lack of education.

How He spoke, they began to speak.How He moved, they began to move.The places He journeyed, they journeyed.

Eventually, even the death He died became the template many of them would follow. Nearly all of the disciples were martyred for their faith—all but one.

They had become like their Lord.

As we journey into the life—and pilgrimage—of prayer, it becomes clear why the one who walks with the Lord and desires to know Him must pray often, and even grow in extended seasons of prayer.

There is a knowledge of Jesus that comes through reading the Word and meditating on it.

But there is also a hidden knowledge that is only revealed through prayer.

Jesus said in John 5:19 (NKJV) that He only did what He saw His Father doing.

Think about that.

Those moments when Jesus rose long before sunrise and withdrew to a deserted place to pray were not religious routines. They were moments of intimate, face-to-face communion with the Father.

Moments where He sat before the Father and was saturated with His will.

Prayer was not merely something Jesus did.

It was where He lived.

So here is my question today:

Is it evident—without question—that you have been with Jesus?

Can it be seen in your speech?In your actions?In your countenance?

Is Jesus visible in the decisions you say yes to—and in the ones you decline?

Can His voice be heard echoing through your vocal cords on the kind of day when you are usually not very pleasant to be around?

Is He visible in the excellence of your counsel?In the wisdom of your discernment?

It should be obvious—not only to you, but even to those who oppose you—that you have been with Jesus.

The One through whom we live, move, and have our being.

Prayer is not merely a spiritual discipline—it is the sacred place where the heart is shaped by the presence of God.

Because the pilgrimage of prayer is where we learn to become like the One we behold.