The Comfort of Presence…

“Could you not watch with me one hour?”  (Matthew 26:40)

Jesus says these words to Peter, James and John whom he had asked to “watch” with him during his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.  All he asked was for them to be near him as he struggled.  Unfortunately, they fell asleep several times, and Jesus was utterly alone.  I have always read these plaintive words with great sadness.  The Son of God  gave of himself until he was exhausted, emptied.  He had asked so little for himself.  And the one time he asks, his closest friends fail him.  I probably would have too.

What was it that Jesus was asking for?  Simply the comfort of their presence with him.  The disciples had no ability to lighten the heaviness of his task: as God, he was about to engage in a deadly battle with a formidable Enemy, and he knew that this combat was to end in his gruesome death.  But Jesus had a human nature too, which yearned for  someone to just be with him in his hour of need.  Jesus in his love and compassion did not shrink from entering fully into our own experiences of longing, of loneliness, of desire for companionship. 

So what are the sources of my comfort when I am in need?

In the Upper Room, Jesus promised that soon, he would send the Holy Spirit – the Advocate, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth – from the Father to his disciples.  This came true at Pentecost when the Spirit was poured out upon the disciples and the Church was created and empowered.  We too have received the Spirit; at our baptism, He has come to make his home in us as he joins us to Christ as a member of his Body.

The Holy Spirit is the one whose strength comes alongside us to aid us in our weakness, for He answers our plea for help when we cry out to him.  The Holy Spirit, the Comforter (“com-fort” = “with-strength”), is the One who strengthens and inspires courage and fortitude in those seeking to follow Jesus’s call.  When we’re feeling at the end of our rope, as if we’ve been left to our own devices to manage life, his presence reminds us that we’re actually not alone.  And this can give us hope so that we don’t despair and give up trying to move forward.  

Prayer is “being present to the Presence of God”.  When I pray, Jesus becomes truly present to me because I’m paying attention and I am ready to receive him.  I may speak or perhaps simply raise my heart to him wordlessly.  When I settle and quiet myself, I can discern his Voice in Scripture; his Word is his Presence in my heart directing, strengthening and comforting me.

Spending time with someone and conversing with them are the building blocks of friendship.  It’s the same with Christ: he longs for us to want to spend time with him, telling him what’s truly on our hearts, and listening for his Voice.  He longs for us to be real with him, not hide our truest selves.  He awaits the opening of the door of our hearts so that he might enter and have true fellowship with us, for that is the privilege he came to secure for us.

Human friends are also sources of comfort: they can be “Jesus with skin on”, God’s gift to us.  With good friends, we can be assured that we’re seen, known and cared for.  And when we’re having a tough time, it’s good to just have them near. 

If you don’t already have such friends, ask God for friends who know him, love him, follow him, and pray.  Ask him to choose a friend for you.  It might be someone whom you would never expect, maybe even someone you wouldn’t choose on your own.  But God understands our need for the comfort of presence and of friendship, and he knows what He’s doing in our lives – always.