That very day
two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from
Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these
things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing
together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. (Luke 24:13-15)
One of things I like
to do during my reading and prayer week is to prayer walk. The Pocono Mountains
are rich with State Parks and State Forest lands. On Tuesday, I went to the
Tobyhanna State Park and walked around the lake. I have done it many times and
never tire of it. I never know what to expect from one prayer walk to the next.
I just begin walking and trust that the Holy Spirit will speak to my mind.
It wasn’t very long when
the Holy Spirit brought to mind the narrative of the two disciples walking on
the road to Emmaus when Jesus comes alongside them on the way. I found my heart
truly desiring for Jesus to come alongside me on my prayer walk. But as my desire
continued to grow I sensed an apprehension that Jesus might actually show up. What
would I say? How would I act? What would he expect of me? I found myself in one
of the most intense spiritual conflicts I can remember for quite some time.
Over the next 5 ½ miles I wrestled with my
thoughts and the lingering lies of the enemy: I’m not good enough or worthy
enough to warrant a walk with Jesus. Much of my prayer that morning was a
desperate cry for a realization of the renewal and restoration that are mine in
Christ. I am sick of sin and the constant battle that rages in my mortal body.
When I arrived back at
the camp, I caught up on some of reading I begin each day with. I opened the
Kindle eBook Everyday Prayers: 365 Days
to a Gospel-Centered Faith by Scotty Smith and read the prayer for April 9th:
A Prayer about My Foolish, Slow Heart
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of
heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that
the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?†And beginning
with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures
the things concerning himself. (Luke
24:25-27)
Gracious
Jesus, of all your postresurrection appearances (1 Cor. 15:13-35), I treasure
the visit you paid disheartened friends on the road to Emmaus the most (Luke
24:13-35). That you met with a shattered and shamed Peter was incredibly kind
and healing. That you appeared to the apostle Paul, who in his own words was a
man unworthy of even being called an apostle, marked him forever. All of us
have enjoyed the fruit of that visitation through Paul’s life and writings.
But
I love how you came alongside of the Emmaus men, for I am so much like them. I
am a foolish, slow-of-heart man who constantly needs you to preach the gospel
to my heart by the Holy Spirit. How I praise you for your tender forbearance,
unlimited patience, and grace-full persistence.
As
you dealt with my brothers, so deal with me. Continue to reveal yourself as the
main character and hero in all the Scriptures. Don’t let me read the writings
of Moses without thinking about you, Jesus – especially the law. May Moses’
words always drive me to you. For you have fulfilled the demands of the law for
me, and you are now fulfilling the beauty of the law in me as the gospel
changes me. I don’t want to forget that, even for a nanosecond, lest I lapse
into graceless guilt or performance-based pride.
And
continue to show me how you are fulfilling everything the prophets have spoken –
not just the things concerning your sufferings on the cross and your
resurrection from the dead but also all the promises of your present work in
the world as a redeemer and restorer. May a vision of your present reign and
coming kingdom give me “redemptive heartburn†like that which you ignited in
the hearts of my Emmaus brothers. Continue to open the Scriptures to me, Jesus,
until the day you return to finish making all things new. I pray in your holy
and transforming name. Amen. (Smith, Scotty. Everyday Prayers: 365 Days to a Gospel-Centered Faith (p. 113).
Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.)
I did not
experience a physical appearance of Jesus on the road through Tobyhanna State
Park. But Jesus met me just the same. And it was as real an experience that the
disciples on the road to Emmaus had. My Savior and King was reassuring me,
fighting right alongside me, interceding on my behalf and refuting all the lies
of the enemy. He was declaring his sufficiency in all things. And I too, desire
that my Savior and King Jesus will continue to open the Scriptures to me until
the time of the renewal of all things. Make it be so.