The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Luke 24:36:-43; John 20:26-29 (day four)

Jesus desires a relationship with us. Those of us who have been in the church for many years know this well and might even take that truth for granted. We sing songs that tell us “what a friend we have in Jesus,” and that he “walks with me and talks with me.” But stop for a moment to consider how significant it is that the God of the universe desires intimate friendship with us.

Jesus lovingly developed friendships with the disciples during his ministry, and these friendships were on the top of his mind after his resurrection. He tended to them with gentleness and patience as they processed the reality of the resurrection. He lingered with them, making sure they understood that it was truly him, the same friend they had walked with for three years. And when Thomas was absent for the first appearance to the gathered disciples, Jesus returns, just for Thomas, not wanting to leave any of his friends in the dark. Jesus could have moved on, trusting the disciples would convince Thomas to believe. But Jesus is both our Friend and our Good Shepherd. He came back, just for Thomas, to bring him into resurrection joy.

We share this same friendship with Jesus. He lovingly tends to us in our doubt, shame, fear, and unbelief. He leaves the ninety-nine to minister to the one. He comes for us just as he came for Thomas, with the purest love we could ever know. What a friend we have in Jesus.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 24:36:-43; John 20:26-29 (day two)  Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

Seeing is believing, right? As most of you know I was not born and raised in the Republic of Texas, I am from the blessed state of Missouri. I am very proud of that, as many of you are aware. Missouri is known as the ‘Show Me State’, there are a lot of theories about where this distinction originated, but the most likely comes from a quote by US Congressman Willard Vandiver as he was testifying before a naval banquet in 1899. Vandiver said: “I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.”

There is an inherent stubbornness that accompanies this line of thought. It removes the article of faith required of us to follow Jesus. The savior was speaking of all of the faithful who would follow in the ages since he ascended back to heaven. If we only ever believe that which we can see, feels and touch we will miss out on the eternal blessings of heaven. If tangible proof were required for future generations, don’t you think Jesus would have provided it? We have the evidence of the Holy Spirit and the truth of scripture. Regardless of where you are from, that is proof enough.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 24:13-35 (day seven)

But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. vs 16

I am posting this live at 2:00 am after a full weekend of Fiesta Festivities. I am thankful for a church that loves young people and understands the importance of their role in the church. I am thankful for youth and parents who know how important it is to work hard and generate income for our church and ministry. I am thankful that salvations will take place at Impact Camp because of the work we did this week. God is always at work! Even when our eyes don’t recognize it.

It is easy to find ourselves consumed by our own emotions and our own ideas that we don’t recognize the work of Jesus right in front of us. These guys had walked with Jesus before, they had been with Him in his ministry, but even they missed Jesus right in front of them. Where was Jesus at work in your life this week? What were the moments that you didn’t expect Him to be in, but that He showed up? Where could those places be this week?  Ask yourself these questions on a regular basis, and you might just see Jesus show up more often than you think. You need to train your eyes to recognize Him, because He is always at work!

Now I need sleep! See you in a few hours church family!

Re:Verse passage – Luke 24:13-35 (day six)

I love that Jesus listens to their grief, disappointment, and confusion without interruption. Yes, he eventually speaks truth — he doesn’t avoid what needs to be said — but he first allows them to share their story fully.

In a culture of rushed words and reactive posts, Jesus’ interaction is deeply instructive. He takes time to be present and to truly listen. We’re often guilty of posting our opinions before hearing someone out, or crafting a response before the other person has even finished speaking.

Listening gives us insight into where someone is coming from — and maybe even what they actually need. It positions us to respond with compassion and wisdom, not just opinion. Listening can open the door to healing and change, rather than keeping us locked in our own perspectives.

Try it sometime. You just might be the presence of Jesus someone else needs.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 24:13-35 (day five)

“They said to one another, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?’”

In my work here at the church, I have the profound and wonderful privilege to see kids understand Scripture and the truth of God in new ways. Sometimes, it is the first time they understand that Jesus died for them and their sin. Other times, it is simply understanding that God knows their name and what they ate for breakfast! Each time, you can see in their eyes, hear in their voice, or understand in their actions that they finally get it. These are incredibly joyous moments that I do not take lightly that the Lord has blessed me with.

I suspect that Jesus loved moments like these when His disciples finally got it and understood all that He had done for them and for us. I suspect that joy filled the room and maybe knocked them on their feet. I suspect that their burning hearts were filled with love anew. As these disciples spent time walking, unawares, with Jesus, little did they know that they were about to have their world turned upside down with a new understanding of who Jesus is.

Have you ever had a moment of discovery and understanding hit you like this? This understanding, discovery, and clarity of the Words of God may come immediately during your study, days later, months later, or years later after meditating on its words. These moments of understanding are times that lift the soul and bring clarity to the Word of God in profound and new ways. I hope you have. May we never stop yearning for the truth of God’s Word in our lives. And may we joyfully read the Bible, expecting God to reveal it anew to us.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 24:13-35 (day four)

As the two disciples walked home from Jerusalem, they were mulling over the events of the weekend. I know when I experience something overwhelming, my first impulse is to talk about it with someone and do some external processing. The word used for “discussion” here implies a passionate conversation, even a debate. They were genuinely trying to piece together what had happened and what it all meant, but they weren’t getting very far. While they once had hope that Jesus would deliver Israel, that hope was nailed to the cross with Jesus on Good Friday.

When Jesus meets them on the road, its a unique encounter. While the disciples don’t recognize him, they’re still completely engrossed in what he has to say. While we might expect Jesus to speak in parables like he did before his death, he instead speaks plainly to them, and unpacks the entire Biblical narrative which all finds its satisfaction in him.  After all this, it isn’t until they share a meal with him that they realize this man in front of them is Jesus. That intimate experience of walking and eating with him opened their spiritual eyes, the eyes of their heart, and they believed.

When the disciples examined their situation with their earthly eyes, they thought all hope was lost. When Jesus opened their spiritual eyes, they realized hope was standing right in front of them, fully alive. They thought they had witnessed the death of hope, but really they witnessed the fulfillment of it. What situation in your life have you assessed to be void of hope? What might you see if you asked Jesus to open your spiritual eyes?

Re:Verse passage – Luke 24:13-35 (day three)

“And they stood still, looking sad.”

Wherever there were broken hearts resulting from his absence, the pain of those hearts reached the sensitive soul of the risen Savior like an SOS beacon, and he drew close. As the two men on the Emmaus Road paused their stride to update this stranger on the substance of their conversation about the chaotic reports of Jesus sitings, Jesus could see their downcast faces, feel their deep sense of loss. He responded tenderly: “And you feel like you’d be fools to believe these reports, even though you yearn for them to be true. You’re trying to slow your heart from running to embrace what the scriptures have said, afraid that it might not be real.” Jesus’s compassion tracks your sorrow, slowly opening up your life to possibilities you had not previously let yourself believe.