Joy in the Journey

Luke 24:13-31  I was reflecting on the road to Emmaus and how the disciples felt as they journeyed along the road leaving Jerusalem.  Jerusalem, in their minds was a place of failure, a place of hopelessness and a place of discouragement.   All their hopes and dreams seemed lost in the death of their Rabbi and friend, Jesus.  There was no new kingdom, no change, they were back to the way it was before Jesus.
We all struggle just like they did.  We are no different.   Have you experienced lost dreams, shattered hopes, missed opportunities, or no purpose?   Life’s circumstances can do this to us.  Things happen in life that we just don’t understand or have control over.   Why we go through these circumstances- I don’t always understand.  Can life come out of death?
How about your life?  Have you seen life come from death?  I have.  It doesn’t mean it hasn’t been full of trials or pains.  It doesn’t mean it won’t take time before you see it.  Just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus who weren’t aware of the miracle who was walking with them,  we don’t always recognize Jesus when we see Him either.
Before we look at what Jesus did for the disciples, let’s deal with one illusion we all have- “we are in control”.  We all have it, we all want control. We desire control over ourselves, over others, over nature, over circumstances and even over God.  Christians must surrender this illusion and allow God to be in control.   Why?  Because He loves us and He is good and has our best interest at heart.  He proved it didn’t He?  Jesus did die for you and me so we could have this eternal life and we can take part in His Kingdom with Him.
We have a great Father who loves us dearly.  If you have a hard time believing this, I would like to recommend two books to you.  The first is “Experiencing the Father’s Embracing” by Jack Frost and the second is “He Loves Me” by Wayne Jacobsen.  They are both very good books on our Father’s love.
Let me ask you a question.  Do you always recognize and see Jesus’ kingdom at work in your life?  I would venture to say you don’t.  But guess what? - it is.  He is always before us, always with us, always speaking to us.  We just don’t see, hear or feel Him at the time.
So what did Jesus do for the disciples and what does he do for us?  If you look at Luke 24:15 Jesus came along side of them, He was with them even when life seemed darkest and most out of control.  He was there, but they did not see Him until He was ready to reveal Himself to them.
Jesus poured the scriptures into them giving them revelation on what the scripture meant and showed them who He was and what was fulfilled in His death.  We also need to ask Jesus to show us.  How is He revealing Himself to us in Word and deed?   Take the time to be honest with Him about your life, hopes and dreams.  Allow Him to comfort you, speak to you, and  show you His love.  He will guide you through times of sorrow and disappointment.  I know, I’ve had my share of them too.
He can take the grief in your life and exchange it with resurrection life giving us hope, joy, peace, and love.  Look at the disciples in Luke 24, they said “didn’t our hearts burn within us?”  Passion was reignited in their hearts.  What was dead had come to life again.  He does the same for us, why? Because he loves us and we are his sons and daughters.  Ask for the passion, ask for hope, joy, peace and love.  He will give it to you.
Place all the disappointments, fears, grief, and broken dreams on the cross.   Let them die and let Jesus deal with all the pain and let Him resurrect what He desires in your life.  I know this is not a one shot deal for most of us, but the more we let go, the more He can change us and heal us, and life will come out of death.  We need to trust Him and surrender.
Jesus walked with two hopeless disciples and gave them hope again.  He was present to them, encouraged them, spoke wisdom to them, gave them revelation, created passion in them, had communion with them and restored them as His disciples.  They returned to Jerusalem the very place they had left.  These two disciples weren’t special but they were His disciples and so are we.  And He will do the same for us.  He wants to breathe life into us, to give us new hope, revelation, wisdom, passion and fellowship with Him.   We will be able to dream His dreams, to live the Kingdom life, the eternal life in and through Him.  Yes, life can come out of death, but will we allow Him to take control of our lives or will we insist on doing things our way.  The choice is ours to make.  I pray we all make the right choice to surrender to Him.