DEVOTION / The best heartburn

When he was at the table with them [the Emmaus disciples], he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’ (Luke 24:30-32).

Heartburn

On Easter evening, after Jesus revealed himself to the two disciples from Emmaus, they recalled that "[our] hearts burn[ed] within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us."

Heartburn. It's not a pleasant experience. You've probably felt it. A fire in the chest. A burning sensation that radiates up from the stomach into the esophagus. The pain often gets worse when you bend forward or lie down.

The times heartburn has tormented me, I quickly reached for medication to relieve it. And then I vowed never again to eat the food that caused it. 

Emmaus heartburn

But that's not the kind of heartburn the Emmaus disciples felt. Theirs was the kind of heartburn to pray for, to yearn for, to seek. It's that warm emotion caused by the Savior speaking tender words to us. It's like the experience of love and peace a child feels when cuddling in her mother's hug. It's that feeling of courage you felt as a child because your strong and devoted father was at your side. 

The disciples' heartburn consumed their grief over Jesus' death, grief that ate at their hearts. The torch that ignited their heartburn was the undeniable evidence that Jesus had accomplished his sin-forgiving mission. His resurrection proved it. Their heartburn was fueled by the assurance of the righteous God's unwarranted commitment to unrighteous people, the measureless extent of his love, and his unbreakable determination to keep every promise. 

The disciples' heartburn was caused by Jesus' talking with them and opening the Scriptures to them.

Our heartburn

Jesus' voice in his Scriptures continues to be the source of our Emmaus-like heartburn.

Be cuddled in the Savior's hug. Find courage in his strength and devotion. Open his Word. Listen. Listen until your heart burns within you.