Thursday Prayer: Ascension Day

Jesus, today you ascended to the Father forty days after rising from the dead. You went up before the disciples' eyes, visibly and physically returning to claim your throne. You didn't disappear - you were exalted to the highest place, given the name above every name, crowned as Lord over all creation.

Thank you that you're not inactive in heaven. You're interceding for me continuously, preparing my place permanently, sending the Spirit presently, and reigning universally. Your ascension wasn't abandonment - it was coronation. Your departure wasn't loss - it was prerequisite for the Spirit's coming.

Help me trust that what I can't see is more real than what I can. You're more present through the Spirit than you could be through localized physical presence. The ascension made possible what incarnation alone couldn't accomplish - your universal presence with all believers everywhere simultaneously. You went up. You're coming back. In the meantime, you're reigning. That's enough. Come, Holy Spirit.