Psalm 25:14 “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear(reverence) Him, and He will show them His covenant” parenthesis mine.
This verse caught my heart the other day. It was the word “secret”-it intrigued me. After very little sleuthing, I discovered the Hebrew word here for secret means fellowship or counsel. It denotes intimacy-a gathering of familiar friends and familiar conversation. It’s where we get our word divan or couch. Does it have your attention now too? I’ve been mulling it over in my head for a couple of days and today I was reminded of a passage at the end of Luke. I knew immediately I wanted to share it with you…. 
Most of us are familiar with the account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. The Gospel of Luke tells us after the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, two of his men were traveling about 7 miles from Jerusalem and as they walked, they talked over the events of the last few days. No doubt they were devastated, suffering from the shock and grief of having lost one so close to them in such an unthinkable, horrific way. I’m sure they were disillusioned, having put all of their hope in one who constantly performed the impossible-making them believe that nothing was- only to watch him be crushed by Rome and the religious rulers of the day.
It is in this very moment that Jesus shows up, but “their eyes were restrained so they did not know Him.” He begins walking alongside them and essentially says “Hey guys, what are you talking about and why are you so sad?” I love this about Jesus! He’s always asking questions that draw us out. He seeks the conversation, he wants to hear what confuses us and causes our hearts to stumble a beat-even though he already knows. So they just begin to tell the story of what’s been going on, the words tumbling from their hearts and heads along with all the disappointment and grief. Jesus listens. Patiently. And then, beginning with Moses and all the prophets he opens up the scriptures to them and shows how they point to Himself. By the time they arrive at the village, these guys are intrigued and implore him to stay-but they still don’t know they are talking and walking with Jesus!
Sound familiar? Ever been in a hopeless situation, a place of deep grief or a in a dire circumstance? These men faced all three, and while they were fascinated by his teaching, they still did not know who was walking among them. Is it feeling more familiar now? Can you see yourself in these men? Do you feel deep disappointment and sorrow at what you don’t understand? Does it run on a loop inside your head and come out in conversations to others as you try in vain to make sense of it all? Do you read the Word, and while it is helpful and definitely intriguing, it does not satisfy completely? This next part is for you. The text says that Jesus would have kept going, past the village, but they stopped him and implored him to stay, and so He did. It was as they sat at the table, sharing the fellowship of a meal together that their eyes were opened and they knew Him. They knew Him! They had benefited from the teaching, they had wanted to hear more of what he had to say-but they did not know Him until the breaking of the bread. I find this interesting in a country where teachings are so readily available in the form of podcasts, youtube and countless devotionals. These are all good and by all means very helpful, but may I suggest to you that we won’t really know Jesus until we experience true fellowship with Him-the way you sit down to a meal with someone and just talk about what’s going on in your life and listen to what’s happening in theirs. This can only happen through the Holy Spirit. Jesus, speaking of the Holy Spirit in John 14 says this “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” Again, in Revelation 3:20 Jesus tell us “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with Him and he with Me.” Are you seeing a pattern here? This scripture is often used in reference to salvation, but it also applies to the everyday life of the believer. He’s there. He’s knocking.
I know what you’re thinking because I’m thinking it too. But how? How does this happen? How can I “open the door” so to speak to true fellowship? Practically speaking, what does that look like? I think it looks slightly different for everyone but generally speaking, it begins with receiving Christ as Savior and trusting in the atoning work of the Cross. (John 1:12,13 John 3:16 Romans 10:9, 10) As disciples, we are now very much like the two traveling the road to Emmaus. Whether we can see Him or not, whether we can feel Him or not, Jesus is there. So go ahead, tell him everything. Let the words and the fear and the disappointment tumble out and then listen and be encouraged as he opens the scriptures to you and teaches you about himself. Be like those disciples and realize that He is what you need, even though you don’t quite understand why-and as He breaks the bread of fellowship with you, as you’re sharing your heart and listening to His, then no longer will you simply know about Him-but you will actually know Him! Take heart, weary traveler. You don’t walk alone.
According to Psalm 25:14, the familiar conversation, counsel and fellowship of the Lord is with those who fear Him. Wow. That should change our weekend right?