As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 3:16-4:1

Dear God, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t think I’ve ever made this link before. It’s the biggest problem with breaking scripture up with chapters and title headings. I never noticed that the Holy Spirit’s appearance on the scene was followed by that same Spirit leading Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days. Was this the Spirit’s first appearance to Jesus in such a tangible way? How did Jesus commune with the Spirit for the next 40 days? What was that like? What was said?

It occurred to be a few weeks ago that I should probably be acknowledging the role of the Holy Spirit more in my own daily life—even as the subject of these prayers. As I sit here now, I think of this as praying to the “Father” as opposed to the “Son” or the “Holy Spirit.” But maybe this is part of my Holy Spirit communal time. I normally Ed these prayers by starting the last paragraph with “Father.” Maybe that’s wrong.

God, help me to commune with you today. Help me to worship you through my actions and also intentionally with all my heart. Comfort me when I need comforted. Convict me when I need convicted. Guide me when I need your leadership. Counsel me when I need your counseling.

I pray all of this through the Son, Jesus Christ,

Amen