Lucho Llanca

The first time I came to this country in 2000, I was on my way to complete my seminary studies with the church I worked for. My English was much more broken back then, and I didn’t have much information about the trip other than that I would be in the United States for a while.

When my flight made a stop in Atlanta ( my final destination was houston), I had only two hours to make my connection. I didn’t expect the airport to be so big, with so many exit gates, and I didn’t speak any English. This was one of the longest hours of my life, as I had no idea where I was or where I was going. This terminal was a time of transition, during which I realized many things I didn’t know, and I had to trust the people who were guiding me to my exit gate.

Life is full of moments like this, which we can call transitions or crossroads. During these times, we don’t know what’s next, and we realize how much we want to control everything. These times of transition are present in the Bible, and God always uses them for good.

Transitions are the space between what was and what will be. They can be personal, interpersonal, spiritual, emotional, or physical.

One of my favorite examples of a time of transition in the Bible is the story of two of Jesus’ disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were discussing all the events of the last few days, when Jesus himself walked up and joined them on their journey. They didn’t recognize him, because God had blinded them to his identity.

“They urged him to remain there with them and pleaded, “Stay with us. It will be dark soon.” So Jesus went with them into the village. Joining them at the table for supper, he took bread and blessed it and broke it, then gave it to them. All at once their eyes were opened and they realized he was Jesus! Then suddenly, in a flash, Jesus vanished from before their eyes! Stunned, they looked at each other and said, “Why didn’t we recognize him? Didn’t our hearts burn with the flames of holy passion while we walked beside him? He unveiled for us such profound revelation from the Scriptures!”

Luke 24:29-32 TPT

We can see in this passage that these two disciples were in a time of transition, grieving the loss of Jesus. They were not sure what the future held. But we can also see how God used this time to meet with them and reaffirm who He is and his promises.

God uses times of transition for transformation and revival, to equip us for a new adventure.

“They urged him to remain there with them and pleaded, “Stay with us. It will be dark soon.” So Jesus went with them into the village. Joining them at the table for supper, he took bread and blessed it and broke it, then gave it to them. All at once their eyes were opened and they realized he was Jesus! Then suddenly, in a flash, Jesus vanished from before their eyes! Stunned, they looked at each other and said, “Why didn’t we recognize him? Didn’t our hearts burn with the flames of holy passion while we walked beside him? He unveiled for us such profound revelation from the Scriptures!”

Luke 24:29-32 TPT

When we recognize God’s presence during these times, all we have to do is invite him into the depths of our lives, just as the disciples did. God uses anything to take us to a new level of understanding, and in these processes he will open our eyes to recognize him without limit.

It is normal to feel afraid or frustrated during times of transition, but the good news is that God will use this opportunity to reveal himself in our lives and reaffirm us in his love.

Here are some things to consider during this time:

Share your frustrations with God, just as the two disciples did with Jesus.

Where or how are you recognizing God during this process? Where do you feel your heart burning with holy passion?

Amen.