The walk to Emmaus was a 7 mile journey from Jerusalem. There were 2 followers of Jesus on the road to Emmaus the first day of the week after Jesus had been crucified and buried. They were walking back home somewhat defeated because the man they thought would overtake Rome and save them had died. They were a bit distraught, to say the least. Another man appears on the scene and begins to ask questions of them. This man was Jesus. They were in the midst of their circumstances, feeling defeated about the death of Jesus, and didn’t even recognize Him until later when He broke the bread.
We are just like these followers walking to Emmaus.
Ever felt distraught? Confused? Defeated? If so, you’ve taken a figurative walk to Emmaus.
Just like those walking to Emmaus, you pray for a Savior and see Him die. You hear nothing but closed doors as you pray for God to save you from your present circumstances. You pray for healing that goes unanswered and the person dies. You pray for a specific healing and along comes another sickness. You pray for the depression to leave and you just can’t shake the despair. You pray for the souls of others as they continue to live in darkness. You feel defeated, you feel hopeless, you feel helpless.
Feeling out of options, you begin thinking about the what-ifs and you walk through life on your journey; your figurative Emmaus road.
The problem is this, when we think about the what-ifs and the what-could-have-beens, we are living in the past. When we live in the past, it is hard to see what God is doing in our present. This leads us back to the men walking to Emmaus. Jesus was among them, in their midst, and they didn’t even recognize Him. How often are we the same? We get wrapped up in our own circumstances and forget to look around us and see Jesus walking us.
I can’t tell you how often I will feel disappointment and not even realize God is working because I’m so wrapped up in what I thought was to happen. I place my own expectations on God. I’m upset the earthly healing didn’t happen when the person is no longer in pain because they are in heaven. God provided ultimate healing and not earthly healing. The prayers were answered, just not how I had imagined.
There are times of sadness and despair and I feel alone and isolated. This is when God sends a good friend to walk with me. I might not have the physical Jesus walking with me, but He is there with me through the presence of my friend.
What about the prayers for souls that seem to go unanswered? I tend to think that if Jesus, in His agony on the cross, took time to console the thief who was dying with Him, He desires to help all of us until the end of our lives here on earth. God chases those He loves.
We are all on a journey. Easter has come and gone. We have left the city of Jerusalem to walk home to our “Emmaus”.
© 2016 Susan M. Sims
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I needed that devotional this morning! Keep writing, Susan! God is using you, more than you realize.