Category: Daily Devotions

Devotions this week are based on Week 2 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)

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Luke 24:17–24 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” 

They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 

19 “What things?” he asked. 

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 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. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 

Jesus asks a question. “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” It is a simple question, but it opens the door for something deeper. The disciples begin to pour out everything they are carrying. Their confusion, their disappointment, their shattered expectations all come to the surface. At the center of it all is one honest phrase: “We had hoped.”

That line carries the weight of grief. It speaks of a future they believed in but no longer see. It is the quiet confession of a heart that feels let down.

What stands out is that Jesus lets them speak. He does not interrupt. He does not immediately correct. He listens.

This reveals something important about the heart of God. He is not distant from your struggles. He invites you to bring them to Him. Scripture echoes this invitation. “Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8). God does not ask for polished prayers. He welcomes honest ones.

We often feel pressure to come to God with the right words, the right attitude, or the right conclusions. But the Emmaus story shows that Jesus meets us in raw honesty. The disciples do not hide their disappointment. They say exactly what they feel, and Jesus receives it.

When someone you love is hurting, what helps most is not immediate advice but attentive listening. The act of being heard brings comfort. It communicates care. In the same way, when we bring our concerns to God, we are not informing Him of something He does not know. We are entering into relationship with Him.

Jesus is able and willing to sympathize with our weaknesses. Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Jesus understands what it means to experience sorrow, confusion, and even abandonment. When you speak to Him, you are not speaking into emptiness. You are speaking to One who understands.

Today, consider what your “We had hoped” might be. Perhaps it is a dream that did not come to pass. A relationship that did not turn out as expected. A season that feels heavier than you imagined. Bring that honestly to the Lord. You do not need to edit your emotions. You do not need to have it all figured out. Jesus is there to listen.

Reflect: 

1. What is a “We had hoped” moment in your life right now?
2. What keeps you from being fully honest with God about it?

Prayer: Lord, You see my heart and know my struggles. Give me the courage to be honest with You. Help me to bring my hopes, disappointments, and questions into Your presence, trusting that You care and that You listen. Amen.

Devotions this week are based on Week 2 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)

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Luke 24:13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 

Two disciples are walking away from Jerusalem, and everything in their world feels upside down. The one they trusted is dead. The future they imagined is gone. As they walk, they talk it through, trying to make sense of what just happened. And somewhere along that dusty road, Jesus comes near and walks with them. They do not recognize Him.

There is something deeply comforting about that detail. Jesus does not wait for them to figure things out before drawing near. He does not wait for their theology to be corrected or their emotions to settle. He steps into their confusion as it is.

That is often not how we imagine God working. We assume He shows up once clarity arrives, once faith is strong, once we have moved past the struggle. But in this story, Jesus meets them right in the middle of their uncertainty. He joins them while they are still sorting through disappointment and doubt.

The same is true for us. There are seasons when life does not make sense. Plans unravel. Prayers seem unanswered. Circumstances contradict what we believed God would do. In those moments, it is easy to assume God has stepped back. But this passage tells us something different. He is already on the road with you.

The disciples’ inability to recognize Jesus is not because He is absent, but because their expectations have been shattered. They expected a certain kind of Messiah, a certain kind of victory. When reality did not match their expectations, they could no longer see clearly.

That happens to us more often than we realize. When God does not act the way we thought He would, we can miss the ways He is actually present. Yet Scripture reminds us that His presence is not dependent on our perception. “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). That promise holds even when our vision is clouded.

It’s like walking with someone in the fog. You may not see them clearly, but you can hear their footsteps beside you. Their presence is real, even if your sight is limited. In the same way, Jesus walks with us in seasons where clarity is low and questions are many.

The invitation for today is simple. Do not wait until things make sense to believe that Jesus is near. Trust that He is already walking with you. Even in the questions. Even in the confusion. Even in the quiet.

Reflect:

1. Where in your life right now does things feel unclear or unresolved?
2. How might it change your perspective to believe Jesus is already present in that place?

Prayer: 

Lord Jesus, when life feels confusing and I cannot see clearly, remind me that You are near. Help me trust Your presence even when I do not recognize it. Walk with me in my questions and give me peace in the uncertainty. Amen.

Devotions this week are based on Week 1 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)

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John 20:20, 28-29  “Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” …28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 

The transformation in this room is remarkable. The change in Thomas is profound. The same disciples who were hiding in fear now experience joy. The disciple of doubt, now full of confidence. The circumstances outside the room had not changed. The world for the disciples was still uncertain. But everything inside the room shifted because Jesus was there.

Joy in this moment is not emotional excitement or temporary relief. It is the deep recognition that Jesus is alive and present. It is the confidence that Truth is real and known.  It is the settling of fear because the source of fear has been overshadowed by something greater.  

What makes this moment even more powerful is that Jesus does not remove every challenge they will face in the future. The disciples would face persecution.  Opposition would not go away, instead Jesus gives himself to his disciples as Presence, as Proof, as Purpose. And that changes everything.

Without all the answers, the disciples could begin to grasp that everything was going to be OK because Jesus was with them. As Romans 8:28 states,  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

God is not absent from difficulty. He is actively working within it.  Jesus had called his disciples and he would not abandon them.

The same is true for us. 

2 Timothy 1:7  “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Fear may still attempt to speak, but it no longer has final authority over us who belong to Christ.

The pattern of this passage now becomes clear. Jesus meets fear with presence. He meets doubt with proof. He meets uncertainty with purpose. And the result is joy that fear cannot undo.

This is not because life becomes easy, but because Jesus is alive. And that reality redefines everything else.

As you move through your days, remember that joy is not something you must manufacture. It grows where Jesus is recognized and trusted.  Walk confidently with Him!

Reflect: Where have you experienced moments of peace or joy in the midst of difficulty? How can you remind yourself daily that Jesus is present, proven, and purposeful in your life?

Prayer:  Risen Lord, thank you that you turn fear into joy. Help me to live each day with awareness of your presence, confidence in your truth, and trust in your purpose. Let your joy take root in me and overflow into the lives of others. Amen.

 

Devotions this week are based on Week 1 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)

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John 20:21 “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’”

The disciples are still in the same room, still processing everything they have experienced. Fear has been interrupted by joy, but clarity about the future has not yet fully formed. Into that uncertainty, Jesus speaks again. And this time, His words are not only about peace but about purpose.

He sends them.

This is significant because nothing about their circumstances suggests readiness. They are still recovering emotionally. They are still trying to understand what resurrection means. And yet Jesus gives them direction. He does not wait for perfect understanding before assigning purpose.

There is something deeply reassuring about this. Purpose in the kingdom of God is not reserved for those who feel fully prepared. It is given to those who are willing to follow the One who calls them.

Our purpose is given. Our future is planned and prepared to give our faith an opportunity to show and share itself.  Ephesians 2:10 reminds us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Your life is not an accident. Your days are not random. Even when the path ahead feels unclear, God is already at work preparing what comes next.

Fear often shrinks the future. It convinces us to stay where things feel safe and predictable. But Jesus expands the future by sending His followers into it. He does not send them alone. The same presence that brought peace now accompanies their purpose.

This means that uncertainty does not disqualify you from being used by God. In fact, it is often in the middle of uncertainty that trust becomes most real.

Today, instead of asking only for clarity about the entire future, ask for faithfulness in the next step. Purpose often unfolds gradually, not all at once.

Reflect: Where do you feel uncertain or hesitant about your future right now? What might faithfulness in your next step look like today?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you that my future is held in your hands and not left to chance. Help me to trust you even when I cannot see the full path. Give me courage to walk in the purpose you are giving me today. Amen.

Devotions this week are based on Week 1 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)

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John 20:24–27 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” 

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” 

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

 

Thomas has often been remembered as “doubting Thomas,” but his story is more honest than dismissive. He is not rejecting faith; he is wrestling with uncertainty. He has heard the testimony of others, but secondhand belief is not enough for him. He wants something solid, something tangible, something he can hold onto when everything else feels unstable.

There is something deeply relatable in that. Many people today live with similar tension. They want to believe, but they also want assurance. They want faith, but they also want clarity. And when life feels fragile or confusing, doubt often becomes louder than hope.

What is remarkable in this passage is not that Thomas doubts, but that Jesus meets him in his doubt. Jesus does not rebuke him for asking for evidence. He does not distance Himself from honest questions. Instead, He invites Thomas to come closer. He offers His wounds as evidence. The very marks of suffering become the foundation of belief.

This confidence through evidence is what Jesus spent 40 days after his resurrection proving and showing.  Those that would lead the proclamation of the Gospel he desired to be convinced of the authenticity of the Gospel and the One they proclaimed.  Acts 1:3 says,  “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.”

As a result, the resurrection is not presented as wishful thinking but as a reality confirmed by witness and encounter. Jesus is not threatened by investigation. He is the proof Himself and he knows all the evidence will support and point to the truth of his person, message and mission.

This allows you and me to have doubts too.  There is a profound truth here for those moments when faith feels fragile. Jesus does not ask you to ignore your questions. Instead, He invites you to bring them into His presence. The wounds that caused doubt in Thomas also became the evidence that restored his faith.

Doubt, when brought into the presence of Jesus, is not the enemy of faith. It can become the place where faith becomes personal and real.

Are there places in your walk of faith where uncertainty has made it difficult for you to trust? Instead of hiding that tension, bring it honestly before Jesus. He is not distant from your questions. He is present within them and is eager to present the proof to dispel our doubts.

Reflect: What doubts or uncertainties tend to surface in your relationship with God? How might Jesus be inviting you to bring those questions into His presence rather than away from Him?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that you are not afraid of my questions or my uncertainty. Help me to bring my doubts honestly before you and to trust that you meet me there. Strengthen my faith through your truth and your presence. Amen.