Two men were walking to the next town and a third joined them. The third man was Jesus, but the two didn’t recognize Him. Without realizing it was Jesus, the two talked all about Jesus – the miracles He performed, the signs and wonders, and His death. They were sad because they thought Jesus was the promised Messiah, but they thought He was dead. Now it had been three days and His body was missing from the tomb.

They continued walking, not knowing Jesus their resurrected Messiah was next to them. They stopped for the evening and ate together. “And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And He vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?'” (Luke 24:31-32)

It’s easy to see this clearly looking back, isn’t it? In the moment, you’re upset, sad, emotional, and your eyes are blinded to seeing Jesus is with you. But when you come out of that trial, you can look back on your life and see how God was directing everything for your good.

Don’t wait for the end to come in order to see God’s faithfulness. Stop right now and take a moment to see how God is with you, caring for you, loving you, helping you get rid of sin in your life, helping you become a better person. Sometimes it’s painful. Sometimes it requires difficult decisions. But in the end it is worth it. And in the meantime, know Jesus is near.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18)