The disciples waited and felt helpless, hopeless, filled with uncertainty. I’ve certainly had experiences of wandering in my mind - what next? How could anything get worse? How about you? The documented story of the disciples give hope, because Jesus showed up. Through the trauma of seeing Him executed, they were at their lowest. Those times open our eyes and ears to His kingdom line we never thought possible. His presence does not erase what we have experienced, but He gives us the wisdom and grace to repurpose our hearts.
“We aren’t called to be impressive but to be present. The heart of God isn’t moved by achievement but by honesty. In our weakness, we don’t repel God: we reveal the space where grace is most potent and welcome. You’ll never find your identity in applause. It waits for you in the wilderness (the inner room or secret place), where no one is watching and only God speaks your name.” - Graham Joseph Hill
“The parable teaches us the nature of that union. The connection between the vine and the branch is a living one. No external, temporary union will suffice; no work of man can effect it: the branch, whether an original or an engrafted one, is such only by the Creator's own work, in virtue of which the life, the sap, the fatness, and the fruitfulness of the vine communicate themselves to the branch. And just so it is with the believer too. His union with his Lord is no work of human wisdom or human will, but an act of God, by which the closest and most complete life-union is effected between the Son of God and the sinner. "God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts." The same Spirit which dwelt and still dwells in the Son, becomes the life of the believer; in the unity of that one Spirit, and the fellowship of the same life which is in Christ, he is one with Him. As between the vine and branch, it is a life-union that makes them one.” - Andrew Murray, Abide in Christ: The Joy of Being in God's Presence
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