“When the disciples are together, with the doors locked for fear of the wish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19 NIV)
I stepped into the sanctuary for prayer last night; heart and mind preoccupied with the tasks of the day. Lyrics drifted to meet me.
“Jesus is in this room.”
I stilled. Found a chair and settled back to mediate on this truth. The disciples came to mind; post-crucifixion, locked away in fear and likely anger, too, contemplating what could be done next.
I tried to place myself in that room, maybe even as a woman serving the table, attempting to attend to the disciples’ great grief. The atmosphere must have been dark. All the hope and life that had been Jesus had snuffed out that Friday night. Some disciples must have been despondant, maybe even mixing their tears with their wine. Some may have been belligerent, making demands for retaliation. Some might have been silent, unable to transform their suffocating sorrow into mere words.
And then Jesus filled the room. He was physically there, but His Spirit demanded more space than the room can afford; He breathed into the occupants. The atmosphere is instantly changed. He spoke “Peace” and the disciples were no longer overwhelmed or overwrought; they were overjoyed.
I tried to connect the dots in my story. What would it be like to find the post-resurrection Jesus into my room? I struggled to picture it, until the Lord led my thoughts to the people I’ve lost along the way. I imagined my own mother (passed on almost five years) slipping into the sanctuary and enfolding me in her embrace. I pictured my father (also gone on ahead), his hearty laugh and sturdy hands on my shoulders. I even pictured still-living people I love, scattered across the country, coming into the room and overwhelming me with joy. I pictured our boy, climbing out of his Buick and wrapping his long, skinny arms around his happy momma.
One time, a year or so after we first moved back to Iowa, I met three dear friends from Texas in Oklahoma City. I will never forget coming around the corner of the hotel lobby and discovering my friends. We squealed and jumped and danced like little school girls, delighting in each other’s presence. The hotel concierge got quite a show that day!
This is the joy I felt when I thought about Jesus appearing in the room with His grieving disciples. Only times about a thousand. He was their friend and their teacher, their mentor and their Messiah! He is ours as well.
“The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:20b NIV)
Jesus still steps into the rooms of our life. Let’s avail ourselves to being overjoyed. Not overwhelmed, but overjoyed. Not overwrought, but overjoyed.
Lord, we tend to lock ourselves up in dark rooms. Alert us to Your presence in these rooms. Bring peace and allow us to be overjoyed. May we delight in Your very real presence. Amen.