In Abraham’s story in Genesis 18, he looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. This was not a coincidence. The Lord did not need to go by Abraham’s tent to get to Sodom, but He had an appointment with Abraham. Rather than walk up to Abraham’s tent, the Lord allowed Abraham to display his affection for the Lord by standing nearby while Abraham ran up to meet them. Abraham invited them to step aside and refresh themselves.

In the case of the disciples in the boat, Jesus had sent them ahead to the other side of the lake, and then He set out to cross the lake Himself—He had no need for a boat. He could have headed straight for their boat, but instead He walked nearby and allowed them to see Him. His appearance frightened them initially, but His words soothed their fears as they realized it was their Master. In John’s account, we read that “they willingly received Him into the boat” (6:21).

After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus walked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. As they reached the village, He gave the impression that He was going farther. Still unaware of who He was, they invited Him in and He opened their eyes to make Himself known to them. He disappeared from their sight, but this spurred them to return to Jerusalem to rejoice with the other disciples.

Do you invite the Lord into your circumstances? Like with Abraham, He allows us to serve Him and, ironically, we are the ones refreshed when we do so. As with the disciples, may we willingly receive Him in our trials and include Him in our conversations: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (Jas. 4:8). Invite the Lord in and He will delight your heart.