by Ernest Wilson
JESUS DRAWS NEAR
unobserving person. How could he have spent any time at all in Jeru salem and not known the events of the past few days? Sometimes, in our haste, we act as though God doesn’t know things that occur to us. How foolish we are! Imagine hav ing walked so intimately with Christ before and yet now not knowing Him! Let us not condemn them be fore we look at ourselves, first of all. So often our perplexities blind us from knowing Him. Instead of look ing to the Lord, we look at our prob lems and find misery and defeat. This is an awful position for true Christians to be in: not to be able to see the Lord! I thank the Lord that He found me. I was born in Panama. My fa ther was not a Christian, but some godly men came down from the Car ibbean for special meetings. During a street meeting, as they passed by our home, we heard them singing hymns and giving testimonies. For the first time, my Dad heard the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave his heart to the Saviour. Short ly thereafter my mother saw the light and received the Lord. Both parents walked with Jesus. I didn’t like this, however, and I rebelled more and more. My father used to pray morning, noon, and night. Des perately I tried to get away from it. I entered into the boxing world. While I scored many times, it had no real satisfaction. Turning to the theater, I did very well. Still some thing was missing. All my buddies were getting married; however, to do so would mean my running off with a girl without advising my par ents. I couldn’t do this although I was in open rebellion. I was in a sad state. I asked the orchestra lead- 10
I F t h e r e IS anything each of us needs today, it is to gain a closer walk with the Lord. In Luke 24:15 we read, “And it came to pass, that while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them.” Our wonder ful Saviour is omnipresent; He can be every place at the same time. He meets us just where we are, regard less of the conditions or circum stances. We have sinned and failed; the Saviour is there, ready to com fort, restore, and cheer. The setting here is of the two men coming from Emmaus who were down-hearted, discouraged, and disturbed. They were talking about Jesus. While they had known Him, had heard His prophecies concerning His death and resurrection, they had lost sight of faith in the midst of foreboding fears. Refusing to wait any longer in Jerusalem, they set out on their journey. In the midst of their des pondency, Jesus Himself drew near and walked with them. What a won derful blessed thing this must have been! There are some people today who get so upset and perplexed that in desperation they leave the church. They are going to quit trusting the Lord because men have failed and disappointed them. Verse 16 tells us, however, “But their eyes were hold- en that they should not know Him." Listen to the Saviour’s question, “What kind of a conversation is this you’re having? Why are you so sad?” Have you, like these two, ever been unaware that the Lord was walking with you? How very frequently we forget His divine presence. Their eyes were so heavy with grief that they couldn’t see Him. One of them, named Cleopas, rather scolded this
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