Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart to see You--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God--as I look and listen for Your leading today.
"Now on that day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.... So He went in to stay with them. When He was at the table with them, He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. They said to each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road, while He was opening the Scriptures to us?'" (Luke 24:13-32).
Two disciples who were walking to Emmaus after all the events of the cross and Easter. They had known You, loved You and had faith in You. But in their grief and sorrow and disappointment, they couldn't see You. They "had hoped" that You were the Messiah, but now they thought all their hopes and dreams were shattered (v. 21). They had even heard stories of Your resurrection, but they were still "slow of heart to believe" (v. 22-25). Even when You came alongside them, they couldn't sense that it was You, they couldn't recognize Your voice, even though they had such a personal relationship with You.
That may be a picture of many of us at times along our journey of faith. We know You, we have a real and personal relationship with You, we know the stories of Your resurrection; we celebrated at Easter, but at the same time, down deep inside, we still find ourselves "slow of heart to believe." When our dreams and hopes are shattered, when things don’t work out as we planned, when we find ourselves in those times of grief and sorrow and disappointment. We find it hard to see You and hear You and even recognize and remember that You are with us--that You're with us "always," just like You promised (Matthew 28:24), that Your sheep "hear (Your) voice," just like You said (John 10:3).
But even in those times--maybe even especially in those times--You'll come near and go with us (Luke 24:15). You'll come in and dine with us in the communion of our hearts if we'll invite You in to come abide with us (v. 29). Just as You did with those two discouraged disciples who desperately needed an encounter with You, You're ready to come and commune with all who would "urge (You) strongly" to come and stay (v. 29).
In the breaking of the bread with them, "their eyes were opened, and they recognized (You)" (v. 30-31). In the breaking of the Bread of the Word of God with them, "(You) interpreted to them the things about (Yourself) in all the Scriptures" (v. 27). Then their hearts burned within them in fresh fire and faith, in renewed hope and excitement, from their personal encounter in Your Presence with Your Word (v. 32).
Thank You for walking with me on my journey with You, Lord Jesus. Thank You for opening up the Word of God to me this morning and every morning, for revealing Yourself in Your Scriptures to me, "beginning with Moses and all the prophets" (v. 27) and being the source of these devotions. Thank You for coming to abide within me, for opening the eyes of my heart to see You, for making me more and more sensitive in my spirit to hear You. Thank You for the grace and faith to believe in my heart from my personal encounters in Your Presence with Your Word that "the Lord has risen indeed!" (v. 34) And thank You that every day You want to arise in me! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray following the joy of Easter your heart burns within you with fresh fire and faith, in the renewed hope and excitement that the resurrection of Jesus was meant to provide. I pray every day of your journey with Jesus, you will invest the time and invite Him to walk with you and encounter His presence in His Word, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
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