Expecting Him

Luke 8:40 "Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him,

for they were all expecting him."

I wondered if Jesus had been in this community before. Perhaps on an earlier visit they did not welcome Him. But since He'd done some healings and other wonderful things, NOW they welcomed Him.

Or maybe they weren't prepared for a previous visit. Maybe they hadn't been expecting Him so there was no one to welcome Him. But THIS visit they were expecting Him, so they were ready and able to welcome Him.

We should always be ready to welcome Jesus. We should expect Him in all kinds of situations and circumstances. We should look for Him in the faces of others to expect to see His image, at least a glimpse of it. We should look for Him in the places of pain and grief so that we can see and spread hope. We should expect to see Jesus everywhere we go and everywhere we look. We should expect to see Him so we can welcome Him, at all times, in all places, in all circumstances. He will help us through it. He will make our joy even more complete. We will be content in our lack of understanding because we welcome His presence into the situation.

Jesus, We find You when we look with expecting eyes. Help us to always welcome you into our midst to honor You and to be respectful of Your presence. You are everywhere and always, Jesus. Amen.

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