When Hopes Are Dashed

Guest post by author C.A. Simonson

Proverbs 13:12  -“Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”

They didn’t understand. As the men walked toward Emmaus that day, they shared their disappointment. Jesus was dead.

Another man joined them. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

With hanging heads, they didn’t recognize him. “Don’t you know?” Then they told him about the events of recent days.

“We had hoped he was the one…” they said. (Luke 24:21) “We thought Jesus would overtake this awful government and right the wrongs. What will we do now? They killed our only hope.”

As they walked, Jesus explained the prophecies concerning Him. “He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:45)  Still, they did not recognize him as their Savior. Arriving at their house, they invited him to stay for dinner. After Jesus prayed and offered them bread, their eyes were opened. When they really saw Him as the risen Lord, he vanished. And they believed.

***

How can we walk with Jesus and still not see Him? How can we converse with Him but still be so immersed in our own problems that we can’t hear Him? Like these men, sometimes intimate communion is needed with Jesus. Spending time alone, talking with Him. 

It takes devotion and effort to spend quality time with Jesus—to open up our understanding. (Luke 24:45) As we read and pray, God opens our eyes to Truth. (Luke 24:31) Then, like the two on the road to Emmaus, we can also say, “How our hearts were refreshed when we were with him.” (Luke 24:32)

C.A. (Candy) Simonson is a freelance writer and novelist. She began writing nonfiction articles in the 1980s with almost 800 articles published in multiple national or online magazines. Her award-winning stories are in seven anthologies, including Chicken Soup for the Soul. Her debut young adult novel, Love’s Journey Home, published in 2013 was followed by seven Christian YA novels and five nonfiction books. As a former IT computer trainer/teacher, she enjoys assisting other authors with book formatting, self-publishing, cover design, and sharing her technical and writing knowledge with writers’ groups. She serves the Springfield Writers’ Guild Board as the 2024 and 2025 President and SWG webmaster. See more at CASIMONSON.COM