When you are in a crisis it's easy to lose perspective. It happened to Jesus' disciples on the Emmaus Road. Discouraged about His death, they were "going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their...questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was" (Lk 24:15-16 TM). When you take your eyes off Jesus, you begin to feel helpless about things.
Dr. Michael Youssef says: "Facing a major crisis... I tend to be the kind of person whose vision becomes blurred...my perceptions are shot...my contemplations one-sided...and I often shut out the very people who can deliver me...just like these two disciples...Their vision was blurred about the very person who was walking with them and talking to them. The One whose death they were mourning was alive...but they didn't realize it because their focus was on the wrong thing."
But everything changed the minute they recognized Him. "Within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There...the two...told...how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread" (Lk 24:33-35 NLT). Notice the words "within the hour." In an instant they went from fear to courage, pain to joy, and despair to hope. And that's the story of Easter. No matter how bad things may appear to be, when you set your eyes on Jesus He will fill you with hope. So Paul writes: "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened."
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