Moving from The Outer Courts to the Holy of Holies

Luke 24:21

But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.

For the two men on the road to Emmaus, dejection had set in.  They had heard the reports that Jesus had risen from the grave and was alive, but they were perplexed as to why Israel had not been redeemed.  They had hoped for a King that would redeem their land.  Their expectation was of a redemption of a temporal kind - a redemption that would free Israel from bondage to Rome.  Jesus reproved them for the weakness in their faith and their lack of understanding of the prophetic Scripture.

For all of us that have grown up in an era where instant gratification has become the norm, waiting on the Lord to answer our prayers is one of the most difficult challenges that we face.  We often feel dejected when we have not seen our prayers answered quickly or in a manner that we expected.  We suffer the same weakness as the men on the road to Emmaus.  We are weak in our faith and we lack understanding of God's sovereign plans for our lives.  We tend to seek things from the hand of God without fully seeking the presence of God in our lives.

Unlike the men on the way to Emmaus, let us not have our hopes dashed because God's work in our lives does not meet our expectations.  Borrowing terminology from the design of the temple, let us move from the outer courts where we deal with all the issues and troubles of the day.  Let us strive to move to the Holy Place where we work to separate ourselves from our old lives and transform into our new lives in Christ.  Ultimately, let us move to the Holy of Holies where we can recognize and experience the anointing and the fullness of the glory of God's continual presence in our lives.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to live among us so that we could learn about who You are.  We praise the name of Jesus for making it possible for us to enter into Your presence here on earth and forever in Your eternal kingdom.  We pray, Father, that You open our eyes so that we can see You in all the commonplace things that surround us.  We call upon Your Holy Spirit to give us the strength to overcome the depression and oppression that we find in our world.  May we always be mindful of all that is ours because of the price that was paid by Your Son, Jesus.  May the world see our joy as we live in Your constant presence.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord and Our King, Jesus Christ.