Jesus Withdrew into the Wilderness and Prayed

This meditation was preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on September 5th, 2026, at Ellerton Centre in Toronto.

‘He withdrew to the wilderness and prayed’ (Lk 5:16)

What did it look like to see the Lord withdraw into the wilderness? It was described as wilderness, a wild place because it was hostile to man’s control; there were no houses or comforts there. But it was a time of silent unity with God the Father. How can we pray like that in silence? It is hard for our generation to sit there without the comfort of devices. But we know inherently that if we sit there, alone with God, away from our notifications or the reels that make us laugh, we will still deepen in something we deeply need. We will come out of our prayer refreshed, rewired for the mission.

Music: Audiio MULVEY Awakening Awakening Instrumental

Sound effects: 11325622-police-siren-sound-effect-240674 on Pixabay.

Nature sounds: Meditation forest sounds of birds singing relaxation - 4 minutes - Tim Irving.

Tweeting-bird-sounds orangefreesounds

Thumbnail: Ivan Kramskoy, Christ in the Wilderness, 1872 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow