Christmas devotional from our National Director Dave:
GOD IS IN CONTROL
I recently visited a Christmas market in Poland. It was in a large town square, with dozens of huts selling hot dogs, knitted hats, and mulled wine. The location is hugely popular with locals and tourists alike, packed with thousands of people. There were no stewards, and most places had no queuing system. There was no-one directing things or keeping the crowds moving. It looked and felt like pure chaos. You don’t have to go to Poland to experience this sense either – you may get a taste of it when you try do your shopping the week before Christmas!
READ Luke 2:1-7. Look out for any geographical locations as you read it.
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town.4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
You may well hear this passage being read this Christmas time. It’s a well-known passage in Luke’s Gospel, detailing the birth of the baby Jesus. It can be read simply as a statement of facts – a census was ordered, and so people had to go to the towns of their family heritage to be counted.
Who ordered this decree? Caesar Augustus, who was arguably the most important and influential figure at the time, in charge of the mighty Roman empire. When did It happen? We’re given the historical timeframe – it was when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Where did Joseph and Mary go? They left Nazareth where they were living and travelled to Bethlehem.
In inductive Bible study, we love a good cross reference! And if we look at Micah 5:2, we can learn something else. Note any locations mentioned.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
Did you see it? Bethlehem is mentioned again. Micah wrote these words around seven hundred years before that census was ordered. This small village was to be the birthplace of the promised Messiah, the one who would rule over Israel and whose origin is eternity.
Coincidence? I don’t think so! Caesar Augustus issued a decree that caused Mary and Joseph to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. I don’t know his motivation for making a decision that would cause such a chaotic movement of people across the empire, but he did. But behind this authoritarian decision was the sovereign hand of God, who was orchestrating everything so that His promise would be fulfilled exactly as He had declared through Micah.
It is worth noting that this came about centuries after God spoke through His prophet. More than long enough for some people to have forgotten about God’s promise! Yet God’s Word never fails – what He promises to do, He will do it (see Isaiah 46:8-11). It may not be immediate, and it may not be to our timing, but His Word is certain and can be fully trusted.
As God works to fulfil what He is doing, He is at work through all of history, all your circumstances, and through you and others, to make it happen. Just as it was not obvious to Joseph and Mary that God’s plan was unfolding through a seemingly random, bureaucratic exercise, it may not have been obvious to you that God is in still in control today. You may have felt that as you listened to the doctors’ words, or as you stood this year at a graveside. You may have wondered at times where God is amid the chaos in our world that daily fills our newsfeeds.
Yet the birth of Jesus is evidence to us that God is in control and is at work, even when we don’t see it! The One who promised a Messiah centuries before his arrival, was in every detail, and this is the same God who we serve today. He is the one who directs the course of human history (Proverbs 16:9), His plans are the only ones that will stand (Psalm 33:11) and He is working through all these things for your good (Romans 8:28).
May you be encouraged this Christmas time as you reflect on the birth of Jesus that God’s Word has been proven to be certain, and that no matter what you have faced this last year, or whatever may come, God is in control.
Take a moment to pray. Give thanks to God for fulfilling His promise to send a Saviour and ask Him for help in trusting that He is still sovereign today.