When God Walks Beside You in Your Disappointment
Have you ever felt like you were walking away from hope itself? Like the dreams you held so tightly had slipped through your fingers, leaving you trudging toward what feels familiar, even if it's empty?
There's a powerful moment in Scripture that captures this feeling perfectly. It happens on the very day of the resurrection—the day everything changed—yet two disciples are walking in the opposite direction of the miracle. They're heading to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, their faces downcast, their hearts heavy with disappointment.
They had hoped Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel. But He had been crucified. Their dreams had died on a cross. And now, they were walking back to what they knew, back to Emmaus, back to the predictable life they had before everything got complicated.
The God Who Comes to Us
Here's what makes this story so remarkable: Jesus doesn't wait for them to figure it out. He doesn't stand at a distance, arms crossed, waiting for them to turn around. Instead, Scripture tells us that "Jesus himself came up and walked along with them."
This is the heart of the Christian story. While other religions describe humanity reaching for God through effort, discipline, or enlightenment, Christianity proclaims a God who came after humanity. The virgin conceived and gave birth to a son called Emmanuel—God with us. Not God far away. Not God waiting to be impressed. God with us.
That same day these disciples thought everything was over became the day everything turned around. Because change is closer than you think when God is near.
When You Can't See What's Right Beside You
But here's the tension in the story: "They were kept from recognizing him." Jesus was walking right beside them, and they couldn't see Him. He wasn't absent. He was unnoticed.
How often does this happen in our lives? We get tunnel vision, fixating on the disappointment, the unanswered prayer, the broken promise. We replay the hurt over and over, having the same conversations about what went wrong, trauma bonding with others who haven't healed from their own wounds.
Meanwhile, Jesus is walking beside us, speaking to us, working in ways we can't yet perceive.
When pain becomes your compass, it always misleads you. You seek to alleviate the pain at all costs rather than heal from it. You pick the fruit but never deal with the root. You medicate but never get sewn up.
The writer of Hebrews warns us to see that no bitter root grows, because when bitter fruit shows, it's only because there's a root that's been growing beneath the surface.
The Danger of Walking Back to Emmaus
Why were these disciples walking back to Emmaus? Because it's easier to return to what's predictable than to press through in faith to what's possible.
It's easier to stay in disappointment when that's all you've ever experienced. It's easier to protect your heart from getting hurt again than to risk hoping once more. It's easier to go back to old habits, old patterns, old relationships—even if they left you empty—because at least you know what to expect.
But here's the truth: Do not go back to your past when the future is uncertain. Draw close to Jesus and let Him lead you through the questions.
We often return to what God has delivered us from when we lose sight of what He's calling us to. The enemy doesn't need to destroy you if he can distract you. And if he can distract you, your vision starts to die. Your purpose, your potential, begins to fade when you walk toward what's easy rather than what's eternal.
The Question That Changes Everything
When Jesus catches up to these disciples, He doesn't correct them. He doesn't rebuke them for their lack of faith. Instead, He asks them a question: "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
They respond with surprise: "Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have happened?"
And Jesus asks, "What things?"
Not because He doesn't know—He's the one who rose from the dead—but because they don't understand what's really happening. They need clarity.
Jesus asks us questions not because He needs information, but because we need revelation. He invites us into dialogue so He can reveal what's really taking place beneath the surface of our circumstances.
Finding Light for Your Next Step
Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. He opened the Word to them, showing them that everything pointed to this moment, to this resurrection, to this hope.
The psalmist wrote, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." Notice it doesn't say a floodlight for your whole future. It's a lamp for your feet—just enough light to see your next step.
Many of us want to know our full future, but God won't give it to us because we would likely reject it. Instead, He gives us the next step. And the important thing is this: Don't stay stuck where you are until you die. Keep moving forward.
If you only talk about what hurts you, you'll miss who's healing you. If you only replay the loss, you'll miss the Lord walking with you.
The Same Day Everything Changes
Remember those words: "That same day." The same day you thought things were over can be the same day things turn around. Just because disappointment is what you've experienced up to this point doesn't mean it's all you will ever experience.
Change is closer than you think. Christ is closer than you think. Clarity is closer than you think.
You may be walking away, but Jesus is walking with you. You may feel lost, but you're actually closer than you realize. You may be disappointed, but resurrection has already happened.
Jesus is closer than your questions. Jesus is closer than your pain. Jesus is closer than your disappointment.
Three Questions to Ask Yourself
Where have you stopped noticing Jesus? What road are you walking that He never told you to take? Where do you need to stop so you can see again?
It's possible you don't know everything that's happening right now in this moment. Even the disciples didn't understand after finding the tomb empty. But here's the truth: God is working and will continue to work. You may not see Him. You may not see how. But if you keep moving, eventually you will know.
Don't let tunnel vision keep you from seeing the fourth man in the fire. Don't let disappointment convince you that God has abandoned you. He hasn't left. He's been walking beside you all along, waiting for you to notice Him, ready to open your eyes to what He's been doing in ways you couldn't yet perceive.
The road to Emmaus can become the road to encounter. Your disappointment can become the doorway to discovering that God never left you—He was simply preparing something you couldn't yet see.
Stop walking back to what was. Turn your eyes to see who's walking with you now.
When God Walks Beside You in Your Disappointment
Have you ever felt like you were walking away from hope itself? Like the dreams you held so tightly had slipped through your fingers, leaving you trudging toward what feels familiar, even if it's empty?
There's a powerful moment in Scripture that captures this feeling perfectly. It happens on the very day of the resurrection—the day everything changed—yet two disciples are walking in the opposite direction of the miracle. They're heading to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, their faces downcast, their hearts heavy with disappointment.
They had hoped Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel. But He had been crucified. Their dreams had died on a cross. And now, they were walking back to what they knew, back to Emmaus, back to the predictable life they had before everything got complicated.
The God Who Comes to Us
Here's what makes this story so remarkable: Jesus doesn't wait for them to figure it out. He doesn't stand at a distance, arms crossed, waiting for them to turn around. Instead, Scripture tells us that "Jesus himself came up and walked along with them."
This is the heart of the Christian story. While other religions describe humanity reaching for God through effort, discipline, or enlightenment, Christianity proclaims a God who came after humanity. The virgin conceived and gave birth to a son called Emmanuel—God with us. Not God far away. Not God waiting to be impressed. God with us.
That same day these disciples thought everything was over became the day everything turned around. Because change is closer than you think when God is near.
When You Can't See What's Right Beside You
But here's the tension in the story: "They were kept from recognizing him." Jesus was walking right beside them, and they couldn't see Him. He wasn't absent. He was unnoticed.
How often does this happen in our lives? We get tunnel vision, fixating on the disappointment, the unanswered prayer, the broken promise. We replay the hurt over and over, having the same conversations about what went wrong, trauma bonding with others who haven't healed from their own wounds.
Meanwhile, Jesus is walking beside us, speaking to us, working in ways we can't yet perceive.
When pain becomes your compass, it always misleads you. You seek to alleviate the pain at all costs rather than heal from it. You pick the fruit but never deal with the root. You medicate but never get sewn up.
The writer of Hebrews warns us to see that no bitter root grows, because when bitter fruit shows, it's only because there's a root that's been growing beneath the surface.
The Danger of Walking Back to Emmaus
Why were these disciples walking back to Emmaus? Because it's easier to return to what's predictable than to press through in faith to what's possible.
It's easier to stay in disappointment when that's all you've ever experienced. It's easier to protect your heart from getting hurt again than to risk hoping once more. It's easier to go back to old habits, old patterns, old relationships—even if they left you empty—because at least you know what to expect.
But here's the truth: Do not go back to your past when the future is uncertain. Draw close to Jesus and let Him lead you through the questions.
We often return to what God has delivered us from when we lose sight of what He's calling us to. The enemy doesn't need to destroy you if he can distract you. And if he can distract you, your vision starts to die. Your purpose, your potential, begins to fade when you walk toward what's easy rather than what's eternal.
The Question That Changes Everything
When Jesus catches up to these disciples, He doesn't correct them. He doesn't rebuke them for their lack of faith. Instead, He asks them a question: "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
They respond with surprise: "Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have happened?"
And Jesus asks, "What things?"
Not because He doesn't know—He's the one who rose from the dead—but because they don't understand what's really happening. They need clarity.
Jesus asks us questions not because He needs information, but because we need revelation. He invites us into dialogue so He can reveal what's really taking place beneath the surface of our circumstances.
Finding Light for Your Next Step
Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. He opened the Word to them, showing them that everything pointed to this moment, to this resurrection, to this hope.
The psalmist wrote, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." Notice it doesn't say a floodlight for your whole future. It's a lamp for your feet—just enough light to see your next step.
Many of us want to know our full future, but God won't give it to us because we would likely reject it. Instead, He gives us the next step. And the important thing is this: Don't stay stuck where you are until you die. Keep moving forward.
If you only talk about what hurts you, you'll miss who's healing you. If you only replay the loss, you'll miss the Lord walking with you.
The Same Day Everything Changes
Remember those words: "That same day." The same day you thought things were over can be the same day things turn around. Just because disappointment is what you've experienced up to this point doesn't mean it's all you will ever experience.
Change is closer than you think. Christ is closer than you think. Clarity is closer than you think.
You may be walking away, but Jesus is walking with you. You may feel lost, but you're actually closer than you realize. You may be disappointed, but resurrection has already happened.
Jesus is closer than your questions. Jesus is closer than your pain. Jesus is closer than your disappointment.
Three Questions to Ask Yourself
Where have you stopped noticing Jesus? What road are you walking that He never told you to take? Where do you need to stop so you can see again?
It's possible you don't know everything that's happening right now in this moment. Even the disciples didn't understand after finding the tomb empty. But here's the truth: God is working and will continue to work. You may not see Him. You may not see how. But if you keep moving, eventually you will know.
Don't let tunnel vision keep you from seeing the fourth man in the fire. Don't let disappointment convince you that God has abandoned you. He hasn't left. He's been walking beside you all along, waiting for you to notice Him, ready to open your eyes to what He's been doing in ways you couldn't yet perceive.
The road to Emmaus can become the road to encounter. Your disappointment can become the doorway to discovering that God never left you—He was simply preparing something you couldn't yet see.
Stop walking back to what was. Turn your eyes to see who's walking with you now.
