Not Immediately Clear

Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
Luke 12:13-16 NKJV

The two that were traveling together were talking about all that had happened surrounding the crucifixion, burial, and the empty tomb. When Jesus joined them, depending on which translation or version you read, it's not immediately clear why they didn't recognize Him. Being Christians, you know that their hearts were heavy. There may have been some fear of persecution clouding their minds. Jesus was dead - they may have even witnessed the crucifixion. They weren't expecting to see Him.

Does that happen today, too? This passage from Matthew 24 could be taken from today's headlines - And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Are our eyes restrained? Jesus told us this would happen. Did we forget? Were we not listening? Are our minds clouded with the cares of this world? With what we are experiencing now, is it not immediately clear that God is here? That He knows what's going on? Are we not expecting to see Jesus?

Prayer:

Father,
           Open our eyes to see You. Open our hearts to trust You more. Give us divine appointments to share Your Good News. Help us to live our lives in witness of Your peace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen