Jesus came to bring us abundant life, but what if we’re running on empty instead? Last Friday, I rolled out of bed exhausted after a hectic week and a few late nights. Desperately needing Jesus to renew my heart, I turned to my Bible, but ended up hurrying through a few verses before rushing off to another busy day at work. (Ever been there yourself?)
The following morning, I woke up relieved. Saturday had finally come! Now I had a chance to spend more time with Jesus and read Scripture.
But I couldn’t focus.
I had more time, but my mind was still too busy to rest. Thoughts of all I needed to do crowded out my feeble attempts to pray or discern God’s voice through the words I was reading.
Have you been there too? Maybe you’re tired, wrapped up in your thoughts and worries, or just emotionally exhausted by everything going on in your life.
Feel like you’re at the end of your rope? Need Jesus to Renew You?
If you feel like you’re at the end of your rope and have little focus left for your relationship with Jesus, take heart. The disciples must have felt that way too when they walked to Emmaus three days after Jesus’ death. On the road they talked about how the man they’d followed 3 years had been arrested and crucified. (See the story in Luke 24:13-34)
Jesus Himself appeared to them, yet they did not recognize him. (Kind of like me when I sit down to read Scripture, yet I can’t recognize what the Lord is saying.)
Luke says, “their eyes were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16), but I wonder if it was also because they were so engrossed in their own thoughts?
The Emmaus road story offers us 3 ways to renew our relationship with Jesus:
Clear Your Schedule.
The disciples had an encounter with Jesus during a 7-mile walk. We may not have time for 7 miles, but what about a walk around the block? What if we asked our Savior to accompany us? What if we made room for 20 minutes of breathing space to sit quietly?
Whether you have time to take an afternoon or twenty minutes, do what you can. Make space in your life for margin. We all need times to rest, reflect, and get renewed. Whether it’s physical or spiritual rest we need, let’s clear some time in our schedules to make room for Jesus.
Pray for Open Eyes to See Jesus.
Only after they arrived at Emmaus, when Jesus broke the bread for their evening meal, did the disciples recognize Him. Scripture says, “He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened” (Luke 24:30b,31a).
Let’s ask Jesus to open our eyes so we can see His presence with us each day and discern His hand at work around us. What good thing happened to you recently? Did you view it as a gift from Jesus?
Ask Jesus to Open the Scriptures to You.
During the walk to Emmaus, Luke tells us Jesus explained to the disciples everything the Old Testament prophets had said about himself. They asked themselves later, “Did not our hearts burn within us…while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
If your mind starts flying in ten different directions when you open your Bible lately, ask Jesus to open your mind to discern His voice as you read His Word. Pray for a renewed love for the Scriptures and for fresh revelation of Jesus through your times reading the Bible.
Friend, if you’re feeling spiritually drained, call on Jesus.
He will renew us and wake us up to abundant life again when we call on Him. Let’s ask Jesus for open eyes to see Him today and open ears to hear Him through His Word. Then let’s make time to be with Him, even if it’s just 5 minutes. Jesus will leave his mark on our hearts.
Now it’s your turn: Which one of these 3 ideas do you resonate most with today? Leave a comment to tell me about it.
Need ideas on how to get more out of your quiet time? I wrote More of God: A Distracted Woman’s Guide to More Meaningful Quiet Times to help overwhelmed and distracted women recover a fresh sense of God’s presence, learn to hear His voice, and grow their prayer lives. Click on the image below for more info:
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