Advent Devotional: Day 17
“He withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth…”
At this point in the Gospel of Matthew we read about Joseph receiving a dream to return to Israel from Egypt because Herod is dead. However, Joseph still being afraid to return to Judah due to Archelaus reigning in place of his father Herod, decided to settle in Galilee, in the town called Nazareth. As Matthew points out this was a fulfillment of the prophecy that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene.
You would think that God would have told Joseph to go to Nazareth with very specific instructions in order to fulfill this prophecy. But that isn’t how He chose to do it. Instead, God gave a simple command and allowed Joseph to land where God knew He would be.
This would seem unexpected. God often operates in unexpected ways, and it can be difficult to understand why He chooses to do things the way He does. Wouldn’t it just be easier if God gave us step-by-step instructions on what we’re supposed to do or where we are supposed to go?
God chooses to operate in a different way, God likes to surprise us in unexpected ways, if God told us everything step by step, we would miss out on the journey of surprises He has in store for us. As a Father who gives good gifts, I think God enjoys seeing the smile on our faces from the unexpected gifts that we discover along the journey of life.
“Our loving Lord, we thank You that You are a God who loves and cares for us so deeply. That You have good gifts for us on this journey You have laid out in front of us. Help us to see where You have provided an unexpected gift for us in the past and help us to have grateful hearts for all the wonderful works You have done in our lives. Help us to be a gift and a blessing to those around us, so they may share in Your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
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