Through The Bible in a Year - August 19, 2026

“And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” - Luke 24:33-35

They went back to Jerusalem and told everything—including the embarrassing parts of their story. We were leaving Jerusalem. Then, Jesus came to us. Yet, though we walked with Him for hours, we didn’t recognize Him. We thought everything we had hoped for was done.

Their testimony couldn’t have been very polished. Yet, it was transparent. And that transparency—the honest account of their blindness and grief and the way Jesus had met them in their disappointment—became the message that reached the gathered disciples.

Preacher and teacher, Paul Tripp, asks questions about struggles that don’t go away after we celebrate Christ’s resurrection at Easter: When sin looks attractive and you feel weak and vulnerable, what do you do with Easter? When you’ve been betrayed and thoughts of vengeance fill your head, what do you do with Easter? When the marriage is struggling and the child is rebellious and you lie in bed wondering whether God is for you in any of it—what do you do with Easter?

The answer from Emmaus: grieve for the plight. Then, lean on the promises. Even after Jesus had been crucified, the promises of heaven remained true and the resurrection’s power was building through the promised presence of the Holy Spirit.

At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, sprinter Derek Redmond tore his hamstring while trying to complete his 400-meter race. He fell to the track. Officials tried to keep him down. Instead, he got up and limped toward the finish line. Then a figure broke through the security lines, came onto the track, and put Derek’s arm over his shoulder to carry him toward the finish line.

Derek didn’t recognize the person at first. Then he did. His father.

Derek wept. Not just from pain—from the import of his father’s presence. That presence signaled the love of one who had broken through every barrier of fencing and distance and spectators and security guards to get to his son. Yes, Derek wept for his father’s care – then, he leaned on his father.

So, what do we do with Easter, when we remember again all that our Heavenly Father did to provide for the salvation of spiritually limping children like us. We weep for the plight—for the sin that tempts us, the betrayal that wounds us, the marriage that struggles, the child who wanders, the worry that fills the night. Such weeping is right and honest, but not the end of our response. With the tears, we lean on the Father who broke every barrier—even death itself—to get to us with His care.

Respond: As you consider specific plights in your life, you can honestly confess where you are limping. You can identify what has torn in life’s hopes or expectations. But don’t end there. Meditate on the image of your Heavenly Father who has broken through all barriers of sin and circumstance to reach you. He is on the track of life with you. He has put your arm over His shoulder. He is holding you. He is carrying you. He is not leaving.

Weep for the plight. That’s honest. That’s right. But then lean—actually lean, with the full weight of your difficulty and distress—on the promised care of One who gave His Son so that you could be His child and never take one step that is beyond his care.

Prayer: Father, there are plights in my life for which I weep. They are real. They hurt. I don’t want to pretend otherwise. But I also remember what Easter means: You broke through every barrier—even death—to get your promised care to me. You gave Your Son so I could be Your child. I am not facing this plight alone. You promised to be with me. So, I lean on You now. Please help me with more than inspiration. Rescue. Restore. Redeem. Carry me to the blessings you know I need. In Jesus’ name, Amen.