In the gospel appointed in the Revised Common Lectionary for this Sunday, July 25 (Luke 11:1-13) we read that "Jesus was praying in a certain place." I don't know how many times I've read this passage and I don't know why it strikes me today. There's something so definite about this "certain place," as though Jesus didn't choose a random place to pray. I wonder if Jesus had a favorite place he went for his quiet, meditative prayer time.
I have a favorite place in my home to pray. It's a chair in our living room, next to a large window that looks out to the east. I think what I like most about this place is the morning light. The light often changes, depending on the season or the weather. Yet every day, the light is there. I can count on that. In the quiet of the early morning, this "certain place" helps me to begin my day.
Now, I'm not holding myself up as a paragon of prayer. I can struggle with prayer as much as anyone. Some days my prayer time is rich and insightful; sometimes it is boring and lifeless. Sometimes it is easy; sometimes I have to work through it. On some mornings I'm awake and aware; on others I might doze off. There are days I don't want the silence to end; and there are other days I find myself peeking at the newspaper early, ready to move on.
What anchors me is the place, that chair in which I sit in the living room in the early morning light. It reminds me why I am there and with whom I am spending time. If I can't find the words or the energy or the openness to pray, at least I have "a certain place," a place I can be in communion with Jesus.
Where is your place to be in touch with God? What place feels most holy for you? Go there – in the morning, in the evening, or whatever time of days works for you – and spend a few minutes residing in the peace that only God can give.
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