“As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him.” …..“As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.”
(Luke 24:15-16;30–31, NLT)
(Luke 24:15-16;30–31, NLT)
There will be times in your life when God will cause you to fail to see something. Sometimes, it will be for your own protection. At other times, it will be for God’s plan and purpose. Then, at the right moment, God will reveal to you something crucial or necessary for that moment. Whether God is blinding you or revealing something to you, the Lord is working behind the scenes keep you on the right path or to reveal to you a significant jewel of wisdom for your spiritual journey.
At a Wednesday night Bible Study class, I was teaching on Genesis 1-2. This scripture not only forms the beginning of the Bible, but it also narrates the reason God created man and woman. When the class was over, an older gentleman named Denny came up to me after everyone left and began a conversation. I knew him to be a person of deep spiritual thought. He loved to talk about how Jesus had changed his life. Usually, he was a man of few words, but that night things were different.
Denny said to me, “Earlier today, I read the scripture you used in the Bible Study Class. I wanted to be ready for the class. However, something hit me when you were teaching tonight. I saw something tonight I did not see this morning. As you spoke about the meaning of Genesis 2:4, it was as if my eyes were opened… like I had seen this scripture in a new light. I was shocked that I overlooked this scripture when reading it earlier today. This scripture explains so much. For weeks, I had asked God about an issue in my life. I felt no answers. Then, I read that scripture earlier today, no answers. But tonight, it was as if all my answers were right in front of my face. How could I have missed it? Thank you, Pastor, for your words tonight.”
I did not take the credit. I explained to Denny how God has a way of opening our eyes to certain things “at the right time”. I showed to him Romans 5:6 from my Bible: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” I explained how God comes at the right time with the right message and the perfect revelation. Our job is to understand what God is saying or doing at the right time.
If you look closely at the two scriptures from Luke 24 chosen for today, this is perfectly illuminated. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, two men were traveling from Jerusalem toward Emmaus. They talked heatedly about what had happened in Jerusalem with Jesus. Then, a man walked beside them on the road. This often occurred in ancient times, as travelers found it safer to travel together. What the men didn’t realize was that it was Jesus who was with them. Luke 24:16 tells us that their eyes were kept from recognizing Jesus. It was part of God’s plan for the men that day.
Traveling further, the group stopped to eat. Then, Jesus “took bread and blessed it, then broke it and gave it to them” (Luke 24:30). As Jesus did this, God opened the eyes of the men and in that moment, they realized that the resurrected Jesus had been with them all along. He had been the man who joined them a way back on the road!
Shocked at the revelation, the men were so excited to have seen the resurrected Jesus, they returned to Jerusalem with the news that the resurrected Jesus had been with them (Luke 24:33). They even got to share this revelation with the disciples! Jesus was alive!
In examining today’s scripture, A.B. Simpson wrote the following piece of wisdom. The Lord “loves to show His hand through the unexpected. Often, he keeps us from seeing His way until just before He opens it, and then, immediately that it is unfolded, we find that He was walking by our side in the very thing, long before we even suspected its meaning.” (Thoughts for the Quiet Hour, March 19).
Don’t be surprised if suddenly you see something new in a familiar scripture. God’s special revelation is coming your way! Enjoy those moments when you suddenly notice little “god-winks”, where God exposes His plan to you. Enjoy knowing that God reveals special insights to you at the right time, so that you can gain insight and wisdom to handle something significant.
Special revelations, like found in the scripture for today, are God’s way of sharing how important people like you are to His plan. They reveal how much God loves you. Have you ever experienced this in your spiritual journey?
At a Wednesday night Bible Study class, I was teaching on Genesis 1-2. This scripture not only forms the beginning of the Bible, but it also narrates the reason God created man and woman. When the class was over, an older gentleman named Denny came up to me after everyone left and began a conversation. I knew him to be a person of deep spiritual thought. He loved to talk about how Jesus had changed his life. Usually, he was a man of few words, but that night things were different.
Denny said to me, “Earlier today, I read the scripture you used in the Bible Study Class. I wanted to be ready for the class. However, something hit me when you were teaching tonight. I saw something tonight I did not see this morning. As you spoke about the meaning of Genesis 2:4, it was as if my eyes were opened… like I had seen this scripture in a new light. I was shocked that I overlooked this scripture when reading it earlier today. This scripture explains so much. For weeks, I had asked God about an issue in my life. I felt no answers. Then, I read that scripture earlier today, no answers. But tonight, it was as if all my answers were right in front of my face. How could I have missed it? Thank you, Pastor, for your words tonight.”
I did not take the credit. I explained to Denny how God has a way of opening our eyes to certain things “at the right time”. I showed to him Romans 5:6 from my Bible: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” I explained how God comes at the right time with the right message and the perfect revelation. Our job is to understand what God is saying or doing at the right time.
If you look closely at the two scriptures from Luke 24 chosen for today, this is perfectly illuminated. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, two men were traveling from Jerusalem toward Emmaus. They talked heatedly about what had happened in Jerusalem with Jesus. Then, a man walked beside them on the road. This often occurred in ancient times, as travelers found it safer to travel together. What the men didn’t realize was that it was Jesus who was with them. Luke 24:16 tells us that their eyes were kept from recognizing Jesus. It was part of God’s plan for the men that day.
Traveling further, the group stopped to eat. Then, Jesus “took bread and blessed it, then broke it and gave it to them” (Luke 24:30). As Jesus did this, God opened the eyes of the men and in that moment, they realized that the resurrected Jesus had been with them all along. He had been the man who joined them a way back on the road!
Shocked at the revelation, the men were so excited to have seen the resurrected Jesus, they returned to Jerusalem with the news that the resurrected Jesus had been with them (Luke 24:33). They even got to share this revelation with the disciples! Jesus was alive!
In examining today’s scripture, A.B. Simpson wrote the following piece of wisdom. The Lord “loves to show His hand through the unexpected. Often, he keeps us from seeing His way until just before He opens it, and then, immediately that it is unfolded, we find that He was walking by our side in the very thing, long before we even suspected its meaning.” (Thoughts for the Quiet Hour, March 19).
Don’t be surprised if suddenly you see something new in a familiar scripture. God’s special revelation is coming your way! Enjoy those moments when you suddenly notice little “god-winks”, where God exposes His plan to you. Enjoy knowing that God reveals special insights to you at the right time, so that you can gain insight and wisdom to handle something significant.
Special revelations, like found in the scripture for today, are God’s way of sharing how important people like you are to His plan. They reveal how much God loves you. Have you ever experienced this in your spiritual journey?