“Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent” (Luke 24:29 - NKJV)
“Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over” (Luke 24:29 - NIV)
Heavenly Father, You have promised Your constant presence to Your people with the promise— “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). How we thank You that You walk through life with us—up every hill, over every mountain, through every valley, down every road.
Lord, we think of how often You meet us on the Emmaus Road—when, like these two followers in Luke 24, we are reeling under the weight of life's disappointments, drooping from dashed expectations, and struggling to make sense of circumstances.
You are the One who comes alongside us when our faces [are] downcast, when our vision is blurred, and when our minds are numb. You are the One who gives us patient instruction when our faith is shaken—when we are "foolish" and "slow to believe" (vs. 17, 25).
You are the One who opens Your word to us and burns Your truth on our hearts. You are the One who lovingly reveals Yourself to us, when we are slow to open our eyes; slow to recognize You, and slow to know that You are with us.
You are the One who holds our days from beginning to end. You are the One who stays by our side as we approach the close of this fleeting journey, when “the day is almost gone,” and time is “far spent. You are the One in whom we have the assurance, “I triumph still if Thou abide with me.” *
O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world lies hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in Thy mercy grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last (Book of Common Prayer).
* ~ Abide with Me ~ Henry F. Lyte (1847)
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