Day 242- Stay With Me

"Stay with me Jesus" has been a prayer that I've been trying to pray this week. One of the best sermons I heard was this past Sunday on Easter and that was the prayer that Paul our pastor encouraged us to pray. Since it was Easter, of course the sermon was about The Resurrection, but a piece from scripture that Paul unpacked was something I've not heard before.  After Jesus died on the cross no one knew that He would resurrect including the disciples, nor Mary. Of course I took notes with scripture references and have lost the paper and I can't remember the exact scripture verse I'm looking for (go figure), but the main passage is Luke 24.  So you could imagine the dreadful walk of sorrow that the everyone endured. During this walk, a man appeared who was Jesus, but no one recognized Him.  I thought to myself, "How could they not recognize Jesus?" Paul helped us imagine it a bit by comparing that walk of grief to any of us who have experienced grief and how you are so deep in it that you can barely notice what is going on around you. Wow! How true, I could very much relate.  All the while when they thought Jesus wasn't with them, He was. He was walking right behind them, and it wasn't until later when they finally recognized Him that they remembered "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road?" (Verse 32)

I have been writing a lot about my struggle - doubt. Paul reminded us on Sunday that Jesus is always with us, even in the crappy part of life, even when we doubt and we may not know what He is up to in our life until later and then we look back and say, "Oh, yeah, now I see what God was doing." 

In Luke 24:29, before they realized that "that man" was Jesus, they were going to stop for the night as it was getting dark and Jesus was going further , they said, "Stay with us.."  Sometimes we - I just need to tell God- "Stay with Me- Please just stay with ME. I know You are doing something in my life, even in this messy doubtful time, and I just need to trust YOU. "

I have prayed this prayer a few times this week, but it's amazing how hard it is to just say those three little words.  When you pray them, it's giving up control and resting in Him.  I am not a good "rester" that isn't even a real word, but it is true. I am struggling to lay at His feet, I am struggling to say those three powerful words.  

I am thankful for this promise that Jesus speaks about. I am thankful that I can cling to this hope.  I am thankful for Paul and his heart and listening to what God wants him to share to His people. I pray that I can pray more this week every time I am anxious, worried, angry, sad, and when I'm doubting. 

"Stay with me Jesus, please just stay with me."