God Shows Up in Unexpected Ways

READ: LUKE 24:1-49

After Jesus was raised from the dead, the women who went to the tomb were surprised to find it empty. Then angels appeared and told them Jesus had risen! So the women rushed back to tell the apostles and all the others what they had seen, but they didn’t believe the women because what they said seemed to be nonsense.

Later that same day, as two of Jesus’s followers were walking on the road to Emmaus, Jesus appeared to them! But God kept them from realizing it was Him. They walked with Him and talked with Him during their journey, and they still didn’t know it was Jesus. But when He sat down to eat with them and broke the bread, “suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him” (Luke 24:31).

Sometimes we live our lives like we’re on the Emmaus Road. We can be quick to forget that God moves in mighty ways, and many times they aren’t the ways we expect. When we’re facing something difficult, we want God to show up, but often we have our own idea of what that would look like. We think about how our prayers should be answered, but sometimes God has different plans.

Sometimes we miss seeing God because we’re not expecting Him to show up in a certain way. These two travelers didn’t expect to see Jesus walking with them, and yet there He was. Even when it doesn’t feel like God is with us, right by our side is where He’ll always be (Matthew 1:23; 28:20). We just need to open our eyes and our hearts to His presence. • Tynea Lewis

• Can you think of a time when you had a specific idea of how you wanted God to show up in your life or answer your prayers? Did God surprise you by working in a different way?

• Have you ever experienced God’s presence in unexpected ways? How did that experience deepen your faith or change your perspective? Consider taking a moment to ask God to help you see how He is working in and around you today. Remember, He is eager to reveal Himself, and even when we don’t “get it” at first, He is patient with us—He never stops pursuing us.

As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him. Luke 24:15-16 (NLT)