Advent: December 21st

Just as soon as the Magi have left, Joseph has another dream where he is warned to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt, “For Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”

And we are told, “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt. I called my son’.” Hosea 11:1

In case you were tempted to think that the wise men had been late in missing the birth of Christ, it seems to-the-second that they show up and fund a very important trip to Egypt. Remember those expensive gifts? These would be the very things that Mary and Joseph would need in order to make a quick move to Egypt, particularly if you are poor.

God provides once again.

It is easy to look at the circumstances that surround the difficult moments of life and think, “There is no way that this is part of God’s plan for me.” There may be times when we try, in vain, to decipher the reasons for our many difficulties. Let me encourage you that even if we never find a silver lining for our troubles, God is ALWAYS worthy of our trust and praise! In many ways, that is what it means to be a person of faith. It is to know something without knowing and see something without seeing. Faith is trusting God to such a degree that there is confidence. This allows you to experience His provision and care for you even when nothing has changed and you can't understand the how or why.

Someday, we may get all the details of our stories and how they intertwine. But today, just as in the Christmas story, we have all we NEED.

God, Himself has equipped His Church with FAITH through the holy Spirit!