Faith FAITH IN THE CRISIS
And they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? Luke 24:32.
One day on the road to Emmaus walked two men who did not believe. Their faith had been shattered. They were miserable. They talked to a Stranger who walked along with them, saying, "But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done" (Luke 24:21).
These men had evidently been among the followers of Jesus, among the disciples who had been told repeatedly that Jesus would go to Jerusalem, be delivered into the hands of sinners, be put to death, and rise again the third day. They had heard Him say it, yet they hadn't heard Him say it! The Jewish leaders had remembered what He said. That's why they had gone to Pilate and insisted on a guard to place around the tomb. Mary Magdalene had heard what Jesus said. That's why she had anointed Jesus' feet with spikenard. But these followers had not heard. And so when a crisis came, it revealed the true nature of their faith.
We experience crises in our lives. Sometimes when these come, we wonder and are dismayed. But it is a blessing to have shaking experiences before the great final shaking. It is a real advantage to have the small winds blow before the big ones come. It is an advantage to learn to run with the footmen before you must contend with horses.
The reason a crisis is not all bad is because even though a crisis doesn't change you, it does reveal to you the direction in which you are already headed. And if there is time after a crisis to change, it can be a means of showing you your need. Disciples who were discouraged, fearful, and doubting, when they finally discovered the secret of their burning hearts on the road to Emmaus, were able to come back with allegiance and trust and faith that they had not known before. The crisis didn't produce the change--but it did give them an insight into their own hearts, which motivated them to change afterward. Crises bring understanding of our condition, so that we recognize our need and can turn to Christ before the final crisis, after which there is no opportunity for change.
And they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? Luke 24:32.
One day on the road to Emmaus walked two men who did not believe. Their faith had been shattered. They were miserable. They talked to a Stranger who walked along with them, saying, "But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done" (Luke 24:21).
These men had evidently been among the followers of Jesus, among the disciples who had been told repeatedly that Jesus would go to Jerusalem, be delivered into the hands of sinners, be put to death, and rise again the third day. They had heard Him say it, yet they hadn't heard Him say it! The Jewish leaders had remembered what He said. That's why they had gone to Pilate and insisted on a guard to place around the tomb. Mary Magdalene had heard what Jesus said. That's why she had anointed Jesus' feet with spikenard. But these followers had not heard. And so when a crisis came, it revealed the true nature of their faith.
We experience crises in our lives. Sometimes when these come, we wonder and are dismayed. But it is a blessing to have shaking experiences before the great final shaking. It is a real advantage to have the small winds blow before the big ones come. It is an advantage to learn to run with the footmen before you must contend with horses.
The reason a crisis is not all bad is because even though a crisis doesn't change you, it does reveal to you the direction in which you are already headed. And if there is time after a crisis to change, it can be a means of showing you your need. Disciples who were discouraged, fearful, and doubting, when they finally discovered the secret of their burning hearts on the road to Emmaus, were able to come back with allegiance and trust and faith that they had not known before. The crisis didn't produce the change--but it did give them an insight into their own hearts, which motivated them to change afterward. Crises bring understanding of our condition, so that we recognize our need and can turn to Christ before the final crisis, after which there is no opportunity for change.
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