December 16th, 2020
Text: Luke 24:21
But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. (NRSV)
Have you hoped that God would do a certain thing and it just has not happened? Too many times I have inserted my personal wants and understandings in place of what God wants to do in my life. I look at the world unfold, and I think that God has forgotten the promises that he made.
I do this because I think I know better how these promises should come about. I do this because I put myself in the place of God. When I say such things as, “How could God let this happen?” or “Why is God taking so long?” I’m judging God by my own set of standards and goals. I’m forgetting that God’s ways are not my ways and God’s thoughts are not my thoughts. But God’s ways and thoughts are so much higher that I don’t understand what is unfolding right before my eyes (Isaiah 55:8-9).
In fact, that is what is happening in our verse from Luke 24:21, these disciples on the road to Emmaus have encountered the risen Lord who has not only just redeemed Israel but the world, and they are complaining that nothing has happened. They are seeing with earthly eyes and not spiritual eyes.
When you don’t see God’s hand at work in the things you have hoped for, remind yourself that you still primarily see with earthly eyes and not spiritual eyes. God may give you glimpses of things through spiritual eyes at times but, for the most part, we still see through the filters of our earthly minds.
Faith often means knowing in your heart that God is fulfilling God’s promises even when we cannot see it with our eyes. Perhaps he is doing something so radically different than we expected, like raising Jesus from the dead, that we simply can’t see it. Or perhaps it just isn’t God’s timing yet. Either way, faith holds on to hope with joy, knowing that God is at work because God is always faithful to God’s promises.
Pray with me:
God your ways are so much higher than my ways and your thoughts are so much higher than my thoughts. Give me the faith that it takes to trust that you are fulfilling your promises even when I cannot see your hand at work. Help me to hold on to the joy that comes in knowing that you are God and that I am not. AMEN
But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. (NRSV)
Have you hoped that God would do a certain thing and it just has not happened? Too many times I have inserted my personal wants and understandings in place of what God wants to do in my life. I look at the world unfold, and I think that God has forgotten the promises that he made.
I do this because I think I know better how these promises should come about. I do this because I put myself in the place of God. When I say such things as, “How could God let this happen?” or “Why is God taking so long?” I’m judging God by my own set of standards and goals. I’m forgetting that God’s ways are not my ways and God’s thoughts are not my thoughts. But God’s ways and thoughts are so much higher that I don’t understand what is unfolding right before my eyes (Isaiah 55:8-9).
In fact, that is what is happening in our verse from Luke 24:21, these disciples on the road to Emmaus have encountered the risen Lord who has not only just redeemed Israel but the world, and they are complaining that nothing has happened. They are seeing with earthly eyes and not spiritual eyes.
When you don’t see God’s hand at work in the things you have hoped for, remind yourself that you still primarily see with earthly eyes and not spiritual eyes. God may give you glimpses of things through spiritual eyes at times but, for the most part, we still see through the filters of our earthly minds.
Faith often means knowing in your heart that God is fulfilling God’s promises even when we cannot see it with our eyes. Perhaps he is doing something so radically different than we expected, like raising Jesus from the dead, that we simply can’t see it. Or perhaps it just isn’t God’s timing yet. Either way, faith holds on to hope with joy, knowing that God is at work because God is always faithful to God’s promises.
Pray with me:
God your ways are so much higher than my ways and your thoughts are so much higher than my thoughts. Give me the faith that it takes to trust that you are fulfilling your promises even when I cannot see your hand at work. Help me to hold on to the joy that comes in knowing that you are God and that I am not. AMEN
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