Unexpected Places

It is true.  The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.  Luke 24:34

It always amazes me how we seem to run into people we know in the most unexpected places.  One year we were vacationing with friends in Costa Rica at a very sparsely populated resort.  We were sitting out by the pool, got up to go swimming, and from across the pool, we heard, “Hey Randy”!  The next year, we were on a cruise ship on deck for the sailing when someone tapped us on the shoulder and said, “Hey Preacher, should I be worried about this cruise?”  As we say, “You just can’t take him anywhere.”  People can appear in the most unexpected places, and I always love the encounter.

After the resurrection, two disciples were walking to Emmaus which is about 7 miles from Jerusalem.  They were downcast and disheartened about the crucifixion of their Lord.  On their way, Jesus joined them, but they did not recognize him.  He encouraged them to tell of all they had witnessed, and still they did not know him.  They asked him to dinner, and it was only when he broke the bread and gave it to them that they realized it was their Lord.  When they recognized him, he disappeared.  Jesus turns up in the most unexpected places.

There have been and are still so many times when Jesus shows up in my unexpected places.   He shows up when I need strength to face trials, He shows up when I need comfort, He shows up when I need reassurance, He shows up when I need a friend, He shows up when I’m afraid, He shows up when I pray, and He shows up daily in the face of others.

The unexpected places was brought home to me in the early 70’s when my friend Sheryl and I were returning home from UGA.  We were late, and I was driving a little faster than I should have been.  Outside of Columbus on a two lane road as we topped a hill and headed down, there, on the side of the road, sat a Georgia State Patrolman.  We blew by him, and suddenly reality struck.  I looked at Sheryl, and she looked at me.  We said together, “We’ve got to turn around and go back.”  When we approached the scene of the crime, there he stood, outside the car now.  He had his hat on, his arms folded, ankles crossed, a giant of a man, and he was leaning on the car waiting for us.  You see, the patrolman was Sheryl’s Daddy, Mr. Ed, and he was waiting for us to come back because he knew we would.  He recognized us, and we recognized him.

We got out and approached him, heads down, eyes averted, waiting for the inevitable tongue lashing and consequences.  He didn’t do that, he treated us with grace and mercy!  He said, “Now girls, where are you going in such a hurry?  I am not gonna tell your Mamas, I am not going to chastise you, and I’m not gonna give you a ticket.  I think you may have learned your lesson. I’m just glad it was me here instead of someone else because you would be in deep trouble.”  Yep, to this day, I slow down when I come to that area of South Georgia because you never know what’s waiting on that road and over the hill.

Jesus waits for us while we find our way to recognizing Him.  He waits for us to repent and turn back to Him so he can forgive and restore us.  He wants us to rejoice in the Resurrection and recognize him as our Lord and Savior. We can find Him in the most unexpected places.