“How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken! Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. They came near the village where they were going, and He gave the impression that He was going farther. But they urged Him: “Stay with us, because it’s almost evening, and now the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them. It was as He reclined at the table with them that He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them!
Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him, but He disappeared from their sight. So they said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us? ” That very hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and those with them gathered together, who said, “The Lord has certainly been raised, and has appeared to Simon! ” Then they began to describe what had happened on the road and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.” Luke 24:25-35
In this story, found in Luke 24, its still the day of “Resurrection Morning” or what we call “Easter”. Two disciples (not of the 12) were walking from Jerusalem to Emmas and were discussing the events of the past 6 days-namely, the arrest, trial and crucifiction of Jesus. Jesus shows up and joins the conversation, but they don’t recognize Him. In vs 25, He helps them to recognize how His death, burial and resurrection fit into God’s plan. He, story by story, walked them thru the Old Testament predictions of Himself and of what would happen. Its not til dinner that night when He prays, breaks up the bread and passes it out to them that they recognize Him as Jesus.
Excitedly, they run the 7 miles back to Jerusalem and tell the 11 disciples what happened. Their comment was, “Weren’t our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us? ”
Talk about “Holy Heartburn”! Jesus’ comments were so insightful and intreging to them, yet they still didn’t recognize Him right away!
Jesus showed up, chimes in, offering insight into Himself, yet is not recognized by them until He did something that was familiar to them! They were so focused on His death that they didn’t recognize the Author of the Old Testament, the Arranger of its stories and prophecies and the Orchestrater of the events of those past 6 days, until He was gone from their sight (vs 31).
There have been times in my life that I needed an answer to prayer from God and that my search for the answer was so intense that the answer to my prayer was right in front of me, but I couldn’t see it because my focus was on the problem, not the Lord!
It could be that God’s answer to your prayer is standing right in front of you. Focus on Him, not your issue and watch how fast His answer manifests!
Think about it!
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