Have you trusted God and thought you were following his will, only to come to a dead end? Nothing is right? Is hope dried up like summer rain on a hot pavement? I imagine the friends of Jesus felt that way after the crucifixion, when they left Jerusalem for Emmaus, struggling to understand, trying to grasp the deep ache in their guts — to find a way to wrench the pain out. Then a stranger joins them. He seems oblivious to the shaking of their foundations, their world spun out of control by the cruel death of the one who had raised the dead. He healed so many. He seemed to be the answer.

The traveler was a stranger until they sat to eat, and he broke the bread.

Did they recognize him by the way Jesus had torn the bread when they gathered for the last supper, only days before — before hope ended and darkness feel on the world?

Could they have been among the 5,000 on the hillside who saw him turn a few loaves into bread to feed them all, sending hopes for a great future surging through their veins?

Or did they see the nail wounds in his hands?

Only after he disappeared, as oddly as he had arrived, did they realize how much had changed within their hearts.

The pain and despair had somehow flowed into warmth and wholeness.

If you, too, are on that road, wondering where God is in the midst of your pain or loss or lack, look for the Risen One who is seeking you.

Seeking your heart.

He offered himself to bring you shalom.

Deep, no-matter-what peace.

Always and forever peace.

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. Romans 5:1,2 MSG