We have a need, so we ask God for a solution. But sometimes, we are so focused on the solution we asked for that we don’t see the answer God has already given us.

It’s easy to imagine how the disciples felt in the story told in Luke 24. Two of Jesus’ disciples were visiting Jerusalem, probably to see more of his miracles and hear his teachings. But they certainly didn’t expect to witness the death of their hero. They had a need: to be freed from the Romans, and they had seen in Jesus the one who would meet their need. After all, this teacher had spoken of freedom.

But three days after his death, life had returned to normal in Jerusalem. The fishermen had started selling their fish again, and children were running in the streets. With hearts full of disappointment and sadness, the two disciples were returning home to Emmaus. On their journey, another man joined them and asked why they were sad. “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened” (Luke 24:21 NKJV).

We can easily understand their feelings because we have all been there. We had hoped to get married, and there is still no partner in sight. We had believed in healing, and the suffering persists. We had imagined buying a house, but our debts are not diminishing. We know that God is able, our faith is strong, but our circumstances leave us in a state of disappointment, incomprehension, and sadness.

The disciples on the road to Emmaus were so sad that they didn’t notice who this man was who was walking with them. They were so fixated on the solution that they hoped they wouldn’t see that the miracle was right there with them. Sometimes we ask God for a specific solution to our situation, and we remain so focused on that solution that we don’t see that Christ is there with us, and that God has already answered our prayer. When Jesus spoke of freedom, the disciples thought He was talking about deliverance from the Romans. But Jesus was speaking of an eternal Kingdom, not a temporary political situation. They thought their sense of bondage stemmed from Roman oppression, but Jesus reminded them that their sense of bondage came from sin and their need to be reconciled with God.

We can be so focused on the idea of ​​marriage that we fail to see that our loneliness will not be filled by marriage, but only by the presence of the Holy Spirit. We can be so focused on healing that we don’t see what endurance can develop in our character. “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;and perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4 NKJV).

The solution to our problems is, of course, a tremendous blessing, but we must not underestimate the immense blessing of having Jesus walking beside us through our suffering and our waiting. Jesus is there, beside us, and He asks us the same question. “And He said to them: What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” (Luke 24:17 NKJV). What is causing sadness in our hearts right now? Could it be that our joy comes not from the solution, but from the realization of who walks with us?

Jesus restored the joy and passion of the Kingdom to these two disciples by opening the Scriptures. Today, let us delve into the Word of God and rediscover our hope, our peace of mind, and the joy of our salvation.