Devotion: Short-Sighted
Sometimes it can feel overwhelming trying to choose what to read out of your whole big Bible. It might even be intimidating deciding how to spend your quiet time with God when there are no prompts or guidelines. That’s why we’ve asked former Collide staffer, Michelle Holladay, to write this devotion to help take the guesswork out of your study time and relax into prayer and reading.
Read – Luke 24:13-35
Shortly after Jesus’ death, two men were travelling along a road, talking about all the things that had happened, when Jesus appeared to them. Only they didn’t recognize it was Jesus at first. How could they not have known it was Jesus?
But if I am honest, I will admit there are many times I have neglected to recognize Jesus in my own life. I have gotten really good at putting Jesus in a specific box that sometimes I fail to see Him when He is right in front of me.
That’s what I think happened with these men. Jesus’ death took them by surprise. They were so focused on their current problem, that they failed to see the bigger picture. Jesus was supposed to be Israel’s Savior and now that He was gone, Rome must have seemed more powerful than ever. They couldn’t see how minor Israel’s oppression was compared to the oppression of the entire world. It took Jesus Himself to explain everything to them before these men could understand that His death was a victory and not a defeat.
I can so relate to these men. My self-centeredness often leads me to miss so much of what God has for me. I focus on my own small problems and I miss how God might want to use me for something or someone else. When God doesn’t act the way I think He should, I become distraught and short-sighted and I forget that this life is not all about me and my current circumstances.
It’s funny when we get some time and distance from a situation and we can look back and see what God was actually doing. We realize that if we hadn’t gone through that particular circumstance, it wouldn’t have triggered the next one, which triggered the next one which brought us to the place we needed to be.
Yet Jesus is so gracious to us as He was to these men and He never stays hidden for long. He reveals Himself to us in big ways and small: an encouraging text from a friend, a helping hand just when we need it, or a sunny sky to brighten our day. How has Jesus been trying to show you that He is walking beside you, even now?
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