Day 8

Day Eight
Matthew 2:13-15 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child and destroy Him.” And he rose and took the child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord has spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I will call my Son.”

Can you imagine that your sitting in your home nestled in your chair reading a good book when all of a sudden there is a bright light and this glowing dude in white is standing in your living room! Then as if that were not enough he tells you to pack up your family and head off to a foreign land until the king dies because it's no longer safe for you and your family in your home? This family has had a rather rough start, they travel a long distance to meet the census requirement, then the baby comes and there's no where but a stable for Him to be born in, then just about the time they get settled this guys shows up and tells them to run for their life! If this all happens to the King of Kings in just His first two or so years of life what are we complaining about? Anyone who has ever said being a Christian was easy either had not been one for long, or was living in total denial, this life is hard and that is the truth! It was hard for Jesus and it will be hard for us and the sooner we get a grip on that and stop complaining the sooner we can get on with winning of some of these battles. The fact is the day we became a believer our lives were turned upside down, at confession we opened a floodgate of turmoil that directly causes conflict with every being of our soul. To proclaim the truth means to expose the untruth or lies and they do not desire to be exposed, the spiritual battle begins at that point and increases with every truth we proclaim, as it should. Is it easy, of course not, is it right, absolutely, is it worth it, yes eternally so, all these things being said how are we to survive? Let's go back to the passage at hand; the angel directed them first of all when and where to go, then he told them at what point to return, "At the death of the king". You will notice he didn't say how long that would be, nor did God kill the king, for whatever reason God wanted them to be in Egypt until He wanted them out of Egypt, (very similar by the way to the Jews in earlier history). The point truly is this, things are tough all over and when God is ready He will deliver us to safety, peace, and security, until then we obey and wait, for by doing so we remain under His covering and surrounded by His blessings, whatever they may look like.

Daily Prayer: Father as You know we are an impatient people, waiting is not our greatest of virtues, nor more than being satisfied with where we are is, therefore please be patient with us, speak clearly to us, and be gracious as we fail, in Jesus name I pray, Amen!

"The war rages on whether we choose to believe it or not"
Gene Burroughs Servant