Our Daily Bread - Spiritual Life BasicsSample

III. Prayer as a Way of Life

Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21 NKJV).

If we see our devotional time only as a spiritual oasis once a day, we may fall into the trap of compartmentalizing our spiritual life.

From the Garden of Eden until now, God has desired to walk with His people in life’s journey (Genesis 3:8). So it’s essential that we take what we learn in our Bible reading and prayer with us throughout the entire day.

IV. Carrying the Divine Dialogue Into the Day (Luke 24:13-32)

Our Lord’s encounter with the two who were walking on the Emmaus Road is filled with insights on how to keep the divine dialogue with God going throughout the day.

A. Encountering Jesus in Real-Life Problems

“Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him” (Luke 24:13-16 NKJV).

Little is known about the two who walked the well-worn path from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. But the Bible makes very clear that they were troubled. They were experiencing an “internal conflict,” an emotional struggle based on a very disappointing life experience. Yet the problem was mulled over in the context of a trusted friend. We human beings are, by nature, problem solvers, and we usually don’t do it alone.

It is in the context of felt human need that Jesus approached the two men as they walked. What wonderful words: Jesus drew near and journeyed with them! The risen Christ really does want to invade our human circumstance and carry on a dialogue. Life is a journey and Christ wants to be our companion on it, not just someone we talk to at the last rest stop.

B. Trying To Make Sense of God’s Ways

“And He said to them, ‘What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?’ Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?’

And He said to them, ‘What things?’ So they said to Him, ‘The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see’” (Luke 24:17-24 NKJV).

In response to Christ’s question, the two went into detail about what was troubling them. Their summary is a concise review of the hope that Jesus of Nazareth would be the Messiah Who would redeem the nation Israel. Instead, He had been put to death in the cruelest form of execution—crucifixion. And to make their thoughts even more agitated, there had been reports of His tomb being empty and the appearance of an angelic messenger.

The two walking next to our Lord were baffled by the soaring hopes that had become shattered dreams. And their experience is similar to what many of us have experienced.

To be human is to look at life’s events through a keyhole. Each of us is finite, and we can only take in part of the picture in any circumstance.

So often what we believe the Bible teaches doesn’t make sense in our limited perspective of an apparent tragedy. Whether it’s our expectations of how God should answer a prayer or how we view life’s apparent misfortunes, we are at best limited in our understanding.

But Jesus wants us to tell Him our concerns as we process our experiences. He has a listening ear and is concerned about the details of our lives. It is because of our unique relationship with Christ that preoccupation with Him through prayer should accompany us in life experiences.

C. Letting Jesus Explain Himself

“Then He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?’ And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:25-27 NKJV).

Our Lord’s response sounds abrupt. Yet in reality, this situation is a case study in education. Look at the wording. “Foolish ones” is a compound word that literally means “without knowledge.” The men of the Emmaus Road were handicapped by having only limited information.

“Slow of heart to believe” has the connotation of “retarded and slow” in trusting God for what He had claimed. Jesus then provided the only remedy for spiritual ignorance, and that is to gain more information. The Teacher focused their attention on key passages of the Old Testament, which explain that the Messiah must suffer before being glorified.

The lesson for us today is that when we struggle with a great disappointment, we need to keep in mind that we may lack complete information to make sense of it at the time. As life goes on, the Lord may provide people and other information to bring closure to the problem. But in some cases, we will not find the answer until we meet Christ face-to-face in eternity. However, because life on earth is a spiritual boot camp of sorts, it is essential to be teachable and in constant contact with the Teacher so that our faith and knowledge can grow.

D. Learning To Keep the Conversation Going

“Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went in to stay with them” (Luke 24:28-29 NKJV).

Sometimes when we reach a destination, an unexpected travel companion has become a friend and we don’t want him to go. The two travelers had several miles to hear what this “mysterious stranger” had to say, and they wanted to hear more. “Abide with us,” was their response. They wanted to show hospitality to the One Who had provided such insight into Messianic prophecy.

There are circumstances in our lives that naturally nurture or militate against the development of our spiritual lives. The key is to know what is happening when we begin to lose contact with the Lord and to know how to reestablish our closeness with Him.

E. Responding to Glimpses of Divine Activity

“Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’ ” (Luke 24:30-32 NKJV).

Reminiscent of Jesus’ Last Supper, the breaking and blessing of the bread took place at dinner that night. We are told that their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.

Whereas before, their eyes were “held back” from recognizing Him, here their eyes were opened. It’s interesting that the word for “opened” is built on the same root word as “foolish” and “ignorant.” It means “to penetrate the mind.” Once their minds understood Who He was, they recognized Him from previous encounters.

Surprisingly, the supernatural disappearance of our Lord did not inspire any recorded comment between the two. Instead, they reflected on what it was like to be on the road and in dialogue with Jesus about the Scriptures.

Their hearts were aflame with supernatural insight as Jesus Himself explained the Old Testament along the way. The same word for “opened” the Scriptures to their understanding is the same as the one used when they recognized Him at dinner that night.

Recognizing Christ in the Scriptures and in life experiences should be a through-the-day process, not just an isolated event.