Our Road to Emmaus

“Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus…And they talked together of all these things which had happened.” Luke 24:13-14

Their hearts were broken and their spirits were crushed.  Their hope and their mentor had been crucified on the hill that previous week, and their grief was unbearable.  As they walked and talked they tried to make sense of a senseless situation.  Jesus came to them on their walk to help them and encourage them.

The week following our sister’s death, my sisters and I met for lunch trying to claim a slice of normal.  It was our exhale to 11 months of inhaling sadness, chemo, impending death and shattered hope.  We dissected the events that played out between the prognosis and the preacher’s benediction of her funeral.  The questions in our head made their way into our conversation trying to make sense of the events our family had experienced.  No matter how we held the prism up to the light all the views were the same – she had died to this earth and we held devastation in our hearts.

Over the next few months, God met me on my road of grief and intersected my path with His comfort and wisdom.  He explained that, like Christ, we will all have to meet death to gain life.  He encouraged me in the truth that He was ready to give Beth the permanent riches of heaven instead of the temporary things of the world.  He tenderly reminded me that we all have an invitation to the reunion with our loved ones, and one by one we will claim our place.

What is your disappointment this morning?  What devastation resides in your heart?  Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, mankind has experienced a broken heart and shattered dreams.  ‘I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.’ Psalm 38:8.  Whatever road of aftermath you are walking, be encouraged that the Lord is up ahead and will meet you in your pain.  ‘The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’ Ps 34:18.  ‘The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’ Deut 31:8.

While we may have a broken heart, we will never have a broken promise from God.