This post is for those who are facing some sense of uncertainty this Christmas, for themselves or for someone they love. Our world, at times, can feel unpredictable, but today’s verse reminds us that our God is always faithful to watch over and guide us, as He did Jesus’ parents on the night before His birth.
Isn’t that the message of Christmas, after all? That our good, faithful and loving God, Immanuel, is with us and is always crashing through our darkness with light?
You may be familiar with this story.
Scripture tells us some wise men came to Jerusalem looking for “the One who is born King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). Upon hearing this, Herod, the currently ruling king, became “deeply disturbed” (Matthew 2:3, NLT*). Verse four says he asked the religious leaders where the Messiah was to be born, stating that he wanted to go and worship Jesus as well. In reality, he wanted to kill the child. But as today’s verse indicates, God intervened. Speaking to Joseph in a dream, He told him to take his wife and child and immediately flee to Egypt.
That must have felt quite frightening, and more than a little inconvenient for them all–to pack up and travel again, this time with a squirmy toddler! Not to mention Joseph would need to leave whatever carpentry business he’d managed to build while in Bethlehem and basically start over, in another country, no less.
But he and Mary also knew that God was watching over them, as indeed He was, in numerous ways.
First, by speaking the wisemen in a dream and telling them to return home another way, thereby avoiding a second encounter with Herod, which I can only assume gave Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus more time, perhaps for Mary to heal and the child to grow stronger.
Then, notice what the wisemen had brought with them. Verse eleven says they presented baby Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, which held symbolic significance related to Jesus’s as God’s Messiah. But these items likely played a practical role as well in providing for Mary and Joseph for their midnight journey and whatever time it took for them to get settled and for Joseph to begin earning money once again.
Then, God warned Joseph before the danger hit and told him precisely where he and his family were to go, promising to let them know once it was safe to return. Which He did. According to verses 19-20, “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.'”
Joseph didn’t need to remain awake all hours of the night, watching for bandits, thieves, or murderous kings. He could sleep in peace, knowing God all-mighty was with them and watching over them, just as He does with us.
The story surrounding today’s verse reminds me of Psalms 127, verses 1-2, which state:
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.
We can stay up all night long, fretting over every potential what-if scenario. We can work ourselves to exhaustion, saving every last penny in the hopes of avoiding financial difficulties. And we can exercise obsessively, eat all the right foods, and do all the right things, but only God can warn us of and protect us from the unknown dangers that lie ahead. If we seek Him and His will, we can trust Him to guide us, just as He’s promised–in the little things and in the big, scary things as well. In the meantime, He invites us to give Him our deepest concerns and then relax, trusting in His faithful attentiveness proven throughout the ages.
Merry Christmas, friends! May you experience the gift of Christ with us afresh this holiday season. And before you go, make sure to listen to the latest Faith Over Fear episode, if you haven’t already done so, for a significant ministry update.
*Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
