devotional post # 2087

Luke 24:50-53

Luk 24:50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and while lifting up his hands he blessed them.
Luk 24:51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was lifted up into the sky.
Luk 24:52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
Luk 24:53 and they were continually blessing God in the temple .

a good exit

JJesus had promised to empower His apostles, so they were not left with a void when He ascended — they were left with a purpose. Their future was not uncertain; it was commissioned. As He prepared to leave them, He lifted His hands and visibly blessed them. Luke tells us that Jesus was in the very act of blessing them as He ascended. His final earthly gesture was not a command, not a warning, not even a farewell — but a blessing.

No wonder the disciples responded with worship, joy, and continual praise. The One who had walked with them, taught them, corrected them, forgiven them, and loved them had made a good exit — an exit marked by prayer, blessing, and promise. They did not feel abandoned. They felt entrusted. They did not feel bereft. They felt empowered. They did not feel sorrowful. They felt joyful, because they knew He had gone to reign, not to retreat.

And this moment quietly teaches something about our own lives. There will come times when we must make an exit — from a ministry, a community, a workplace, a season of life, or even a relationship shaped by time and calling. The way Jesus left His disciples shows us what a holy exit looks like: leaving others strengthened, not shaken; blessed, not burdened; confident, not confused.

A Christlike departure is one in which love lingers even after presence fades. It is one in which those who remain feel supported, prayed for, and encouraged — not abandoned or diminished. It is one in which the blessing continues even when the companionship changes.

So we pray:

LORD, give us such a love for others that when we have to leave them,
they can take it with confidence and joy,
knowing that we will keep praying for them.