We have our moments

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”  Isaiah 7:14

Several years ago, my wife and I visited the Churchill Museum in the Westminster district of London.  It was a fascinating place and every bit as inspirational; we both agreed that our two hours there could easily have been four or more.  Yet more impressionable than all the facts and artifacts was a deeper appreciation of one person raised up and called to a momentous point in history.  No one could have been more ideally suited to lead the world against Germany’s Third Reich than England’s Winston Churchill. 

History has its cycles and patterns: civilizations come and go; wars are won and lost; leaders rise and fall.  As Solomon would say, there is nothing new under the sun.  To this, however, we might add an exception: Christ will never be crucified again.  He was born once for all mankind, he was crucified once for all time and he rose from the dead, never to taste death again. 

And chosen to usher in this singular pivot point in time was a young, unwed Middle-eastern girl, named Mary.  We don’t know much about her, but what we do know is enough: she was highly favored and the Lord was with her.  When called to bear the Anointed One foretold for millennia prior, she responded humbly, “I am the Lord's servant.  May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). 

So too have we been raised up, for a lifetime of “moments,” actually.  Who, for instance, is better suited to teach your children about Jesus than you?  Who is better positioned to introduce him to a trusting friend than you?  And haven’t we all seen “open doors” through which God has called us to step into just-in-time ministry, be it sharing Christ, telling others what he has done for us, or serving people in his name? 

Certainly each one of us are called to the “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).  Will the history texts of tomorrow bear our names?  No, likely not.  But there is a place where we will read our names along with those of everyone who trusts in Christ, including those who believe through our testimony.  It’s called “the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).  And it stands as inspiration for us to step into all our moments with anticipation, confidence and joy. 

Lord, grace me to hear your call today and obey.  And be glorified through this servant of yours.  Amen. 

[Click here to see the daily reading in Isaiah 7:10-15.] 

Those moments ...

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.  They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”  Luke 24:31-32

What a moment! 

Can you even imagine walking down the road with a friend and, seemingly out of nowhere, the resurrected Jesus comes up and joins your conversation?  Then, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explains to you “what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself”!  What wouldn’t you give to be there for what had to have been the Bible study of the ages?  If I could insert myself into any one moment in history, that would probably be it.

Yet life walked closely with Christ is actually full of “those moments,” even today.  Those moments ...

... when Jesus joins us on the road to our destination ... and our eyes are opened and our hearts burn within us;
... when, in prayer, we talk with God as openly as the two disciples spoke with Jesus that day ... and our eyes are opened and our hearts burn within us;
... when the Holy Spirit opens up the Scriptures and speaks their deep truths into our spirits ... and our eyes are opened and our hearts burn within us;
... when, like the two men who returned to Jerusalem to tell their story, we share with others our encounters with Jesus ... and their eyes are opened and their hearts burn within them.

For the Scriptures are still living and active, today.  They still point to Jesus, today.  And he still meets us where we are today.

For me, those moments happen each time I sit down with Bible, notepad and pen (and coffee).  It's a simple time of reading God's word ... jotting down whatever related thoughts come to mind ... and writing out a prayerful response.  Without fail, God's word speaks truth and elicits the response that rises up from my soul.  To all the people who had recommended journaling throughout the years, you were right!

How precious the moments when our eyes are opened and our hearts burn within us!  They happen, you know.  They still happen ...

“I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.” Psalm 86:12

[Recommended reading: the Luke 24:13-35 account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in the NIV or The Message.]