Derek Smith
Lead Pastor
Luke 24:30-32
30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
A few days after Christ rose from the dead, two followers of His are walking down the road to Emmaus broken over the events that just unfolded before them. They are having a crisis of faith, questioning whether Christ really is the Messiah or not. They’ve heard He has risen from the dead but haven’t experienced His appearing for themselves. Then, out of nowhere, in steps Jesus! At first they don’t know who this man is, but later Christ opens their eyes when He breaks bread before them and they see Him alive from the dead. He goes on to give them the very answers they need in order to process everything and walk by faith.
Life is incredibly difficult. As the Scriptures say, the days of man are short and his life is full of trouble (Job 14:1). The great news of the gospel is that Christ died to atone for our sin and rose victoriously from the dead. Now when we trust in Him He comes to live in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. He is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” This means in our difficulty, Jesus is with us. He shows up at just the right time in our lives to give us peace and strength to continue on. He is not afraid of our doubts, questions, or fears. The resurrection of Christ means He is ready, willing, and able to walk beside us as we grapple with the hard stuff of life. As He walks with us, he opens our eyes to His plan and ignites our hearts to worship Him. Today, are you walking a difficult road? If so, look for Jesus, He’s walking right beside you, and He wants to give you peace and strength today.