Luke 24: 37-39
Easter evening, followers of Jesus huddle behind locked doors, afraid. Jesus appeared and they are…afraid. Not only are they afraid of the Jews on the outside but they are afraid they are seeing ghosts on the inside. They are overwhelmed with fear. Some days are like that. We are afraid of that which we think threatens our security externally and afraid of our own imaginations from within. In that state of dismay, Jesus appeared. He didn’t wait til they had their act together. He simply asks them a question, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?” The question focused them and helped them see reality more clearly. Jesus was present.
Sometimes we need to be asked honest questions. What are we afraid of? Are we afraid that God is not enough and will not live up to his promises to be with us? Perhaps we are afraid that we are not enough and God cannot work through us. We run from fear and it is only as we face those fears and face Jesus that life falls into order. “Failure is not final.”
As a missionary, one morning as we drank tea the man who worked at our house shared about being gored by a rhino. He then went on and asked if I knew how to kill a lion. Rule number 1, never turn and run. Rule number 2, never throw away your spear. Rule 3, plant your spear in the ground and let the lion jump on the spear. You may get hurt but your friends will come and kill it. Never run because we have no protective armor for our backs. Think about our spiritual armor. All the spiritual armor found in Ephesians 6:10-17 are for facing forward.
The followers needed to be reminded they need not be driven by fear and they need not doubt. So today let us pray and turn over the things that bother us to God. He is resurrected and is with us even when doors are locked, even when our faith is challenged and we are afraid. Blessings.
On the Way to Wonder 