This is something I had written back in 2009 in compliance with a school assignment, but also to my own interest. Spiritual Heartache or Spiritual Heartburn? .... Luke 24:13-32 "And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" These men were followers of Christ. They had been with Jesus and heard Him teach the scriptures. They had seen Him perform miracles right before their eyes. They had grown to love Him, not only for what He is, but also for Who He is. But now, He is gone. He had just been crucified and buried, (and unknown to them, raised from the grave). Now they are walking, on their way to Emmaus. The Bible tells us that as they were walking, they were talking of all these things which had happened. (vs. 17) Maybe they were talking about how unfair it was to have Him taken away from them, or maybe about what they were going to do next. So often when things go wrong, we are quick to vent, and often say things that we regret later. "A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards." (Proverbs 29:11) "How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?" (Job 6:25) "For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:" (1 Peter 3:10) "Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile." (Psalms 34:13) "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Proverbs 18:21) You can never ‘un-speak” a spoken word. Once something has been said, you can’t ‘take it back’. Life is too short to be filled with harsh words and grudges. When someone you love is laying in a casket, all those chances to say what you really mean… they are gone. When they are lying there, a whole lot of little things won’t matter at all.
In verse 16, these men didn’t recognize Jesus, even though He was walking right there with them, they didn’t recognize who He really was. Many times people ask God, “Where are you? Don’t you see what’s going on in my life? Don’t you care?”, when He has been there the whole time, and He see’s everything that happens to us and He does care. "...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5) "The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth." (Psalms 145:18) "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you...." (James 4:8) "And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." (Deuteronomy 31:8) If we can’t tell that He is with us, maybe we are not where we should be. God is always the same, He hasn’t moved. (vs. 19) Jesus asks the question, “what things?” He was asking them to tell Him about all of their problems, and He does the same for us. "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah." (Psalms 62:8) "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (I Peter 5:7) Someone can make their husband, wife, or friend aggravated by unloading everything that is in their heart. A teenager can irritate their parents by telling them everything that is in their heart. But, I do not think it ever makes God upset by telling Him everything that is in our hearts. He wants us to tell Him everything that is bothering us. Every worry, every anxious moment, every fear, and question, every temptation, grief, sorrow, burden and sin. He wants to hear from us, even when everything is going good. We cannot defeat our problems without the Lord, without Him, we are and can do nothing. "...for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5) "And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:27) "And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." (Luke 18:27) "For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luke 1:37) We cannot do it on our own, but with God’s help, and through His will, we can. vs. 32 of the text says "And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" And in Jeremiah 20:9, it says, "...But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones..." God gives us the same things that gave them Spiritual Heartburn. He gives us His presence, prayer, and the Bible. While He talked with us…opened to us the scriptures… The Bible is life’s “solution guide”. It shows us what to do and helps us find the answer. When you don’t know what to do, look in the Bible. The Bible holds the answers to any question you may have. When we don’t understand, when everything is going wrong, when are confused, angry, lonely, hurt, frustrated, tempted, grieving, sad, disappointed, depressed, anxious, afraid, doubting, whatever our need or problem, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, reveals Himself to us in the Bible. The pain of your heartache can be cured if you’ll realize that Jesus is always with you, in His Word, and is always there to help you with all of your problems. He will carry the burden for you. He will give you strength. He will give you comfort, Just trust in Him. If your heart will burn for the Lord, if you’ve got a heart that is on fire for God, It won’t ache because of all your problems, Stay on fire for the Lord. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the fiery furnace, they stayed burning hot for God, but they never burnt up. The Lord was with them and we can know that He will be with us as well. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10) Many people think that once they get saved, life will be a piece of cake or a bed of roses, so when trials come, or things don’t go as they planned, they burn out for God. The reality is that roses have thorns and not all cake is sweet. - Faith makes things possible, not easy. "And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:27) It doesn’t say, with God you will have everything you want, or with God your life will go as planned, or even with God everyone will like you… No, it say’s With God, all things are possible. Is anything too hard for God? We need to trust Him, and have a heart and a life that is on fire for God. You may not understand why God is allowing certain things to happen in your life, but He does. Life is like a puzzle. We are only seeing what’s happening now, one piece of the puzzle. We don’t see how it is going to fit into the big picture of life. But the Lord knows, and through it all, He will be right there beside us, guiding us, and showing us the way. Do you have Spiritual Heartache or Spiritual Heartburn?
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January 2023
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