No Barriers

It was as if the doors were never shut. Christ appeared to all of them, no barriers placed on Him. Nothing could come between Him and the disciples He loved dearly. His physical revelation in a moment when there was considerable distress, despair over His death, and when their future was in question, was a surprise as much as it was a comfort.

We may experience times when we try to shut God out of our hearts and our lives. In His own way, He may fight against our efforts to exclude Him. This is not often something He wants to do, but is accomplished because without intervention, we would suffer greatly and needlessly. Jesus’ followers had been gathered in fear of being discovered, yet there was no indication they had been in prayer or fasting. Just a “simple” case of intimidation and doubt.

It was in that moment Christ manifested Himself to them, immediately wishing them peace in their hearts and spirits. He understood their fear and their dilemma.

Though the Word reminds us to “shut the door” when we pray to God (Matthew 6:6), this was a situation Jesus saw as an opportunity to display His power, by breaking down all barriers, physical and spiritual. He even brought a disciple with severe doubt to declare with a resounding exclamation, “My Lord and my God!” (v28)

Pray that God would reach out to us in our difficult times, through locked doors, even closed hearts and minds, and break down all barriers, self-created or even perceived. Pray that we may experience His presence, know Him personally, and that He would show us who He is – a supernatural God capable of far more than we can imagine.