Luke 24:21

New International Version (NIV)

But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.

For meditation

What happens when hope quickly fades and dreams become a mirage? For an ardent believer, it leaves nothing but disillusionment and regret to mull over.

When dark clouds of disappointment roll over a bright and eagerly expected future, the visionary cannot see anymore. The disenchanted cannot hear anything when the deafening sound of a crashed vision still fills the ears.

Martha and Mary could hear nothing Jesus said as long as they had fixed their minds on their brother’s death and the disappointment of Jesus’ delayed coming (Jn. 11:21, 23-26, 32, 39-40). Light up your imagination and watch Mary Magdalene at the tomb until Jesus calls her name (Jn. 20:16). It is a common phenomenon with the bereaved and cruelly wounded. Grief buries them in self-pity and clouds their cognitive senses until therapy shocks them back to reality.

You can, therefore, understand the blindness and deafness of Cleopas and his friend to the risen Christ in their encounter with Him on the road to Emmaus until the evening meal with Him (Lk. 24:13-32). They couldn’t recognize the resurrected Jesus when the dark cloud of disappointment had eclipsed their vision (21) until the shock therapy of the Lord’s Supper brought them to the delightful truth of the resurrection.

As He sat at the table with them, He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, they knew Him, and He vanished from their sight (Luke 24:30-31). 

Maybe this, somehow, resonates with you. You have been where nothing made sense anymore because your circumstances pulled the rug from under you and hope fled beyond reach. Or is that your current experience?

I pray the experiences of these disciples and countless number of saints will encourage you, recognizing that because Jesus lives, hope is never gone. Faith is the victory that overcomes uncertainties. You may not see Him, but He is real in your situation, offering His comforting presence, regardless of your circumstances. After all, who hopes for what they already have? (Rm. 8:24)

Keep hoping in Jesus, and never let go of your belief in what He can and will do for you. For every child of God, Hope never disappoints because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us (Rm. 5:5).

So, hold on to your faith in Jesus and keep hope alive in Him.

Prayer

Father, in the precious name of Jesus, please bring assurance, comfort, and peace to us where we are hurting and turn our eyes away from the clouds of disappointment and into the face of Jesus. We need your entire ministry now, Lord Holy Spirit. Amen.