They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” —Luke 24:32 NIV
Where do you see God showing up in your life right now? Maybe you have a quick reply, but I am often not prepared to answer this question. I can tell you what is hard right now. I can tell you what is easy. I can tell you all that He has done for me in the past, and all that I hope to see Him do in the future, but what He’s doing right now? That can be a little tricky. I suspect you can relate.
In Luke 24:13-35, we encounter two followers of Christ walking away from Jerusalem shortly after His death, unaware of His resurrection. He joins them on their seven-mile walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus, and He asks them what they’re discussing. They stop walking. Luke notes that they stood there, “their faces downcast” (vs. 17). Then one of them, Cleopas, says something that is almost embarrassingly honest: “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there?” (vs. 18).
He’s talking to Jesus. About Jesus.
I don’t say this flippantly. I say it because I think most of us have had a version of this conversation. We’ve talked about our confusion, our grief, our “we had hoped” … and God was in it, in us, closer than our own breath, yet we were too overwhelmed to notice.
That’s not a faith failure. That’s just being human.
What strikes me is what happens after they finally recognize Him—after the bread is broken, their eyes are opened, and He vanishes. They don’t sit there in stunned silence. They turn to each other and say, “Were not our hearts burning within us?” (vs. 32).
They felt something the whole time. They just didn’t have a name for it yet.
I think that’s what reflection does for us, and why it’s worth making set-apart time: We’re not manufacturing some spiritual insight, but looking back and naming what our hearts already know. The feeling that felt oddly like peace in the middle of a hard conversation. The unexpected provision you almost called luck. The moment you kept returning to in your mind without knowing why. Your ability to rise each day through a dark season.
These aren’t coincidences to explain away. They’re worth considering and sitting with.
The two on the road didn’t get up that morning, planning to have an encounter with the risen Christ. They were just walking home, heartbroken, talking through it together. And Christ showed up.
Sometimes, for many reasons, we aren’t able to start our days with the idealistic prayer, Scripture reading, and our favorite morning drink. But that doesn’t mean we “miss” Christ that day. He is going to walk with you through it no matter what. And if you take a little time, in the evening, or any time, really, to stop and reflect, you may be surprised to see glimpses of His work.
Lord, thank You for walking with us. May we always be aware of Your presence. May our hearts burn within us when You show up in various ways, and may we find ourselves surrounded by friends who recognize You as well.
In Christ’s love,
Jayna
Sweet Selah Ministries
Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service
Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)
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