In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ~ Luke 2:1-4 (NIV)
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Don't you hate it when you're forced to do something you don't want to do, something that really takes a bite out of your schedule? We can grumble and complain, kick our shoes in the dirt, and throw quite a fit, actually. It's always inconvenient or tedious or time-consuming or uncomfortable. We just don't want to do it! But when a mandate from up-top comes down, you just do what ya gotta do, right?
What if the government forced you to take an unpaid leave of absence and travel to the home of your Dad or Grandpa's birthplace, so you could be counted as part of a taxation census? How would that grab you? My dad was born in Iowa. His dad was born who knows where, and before that, ancestors came from Germany. I couldn't afford not to work, nor could I afford the travel expenses. And all for what -- to be sure I'm not a tax-evader? Can't I just show you my latest tax returns?!?!
Do we ever think mandates are God's will? Or, do we just assume it's man's attempt to drive us crazy?
Many things in life hit us broadside that can throw us for a loop. And since they're uncomfortable or inconvenient or scary, we are quick to assume they can't be part of God's plan. But God has proved Himself time and again. God spoke through a prophet (Micah 5:2) about the Messiah's birth in Bethlehem at least 400 years before it happened. Now, whether Caesar was prompted by God to mandate the census in order to get Joseph to Bethlehem, or whether God's omniscience simply knew what would happen 400 years down the road is a mystery to me. The bottom line is that Joseph and Mary were inconvenienced by the government; yet, God was in complete control of the situation. He was there all along.
What are you going through right now that seems an inconvenience or trial put on you by others? Are you grumbling at man's attempt to send you to the asylum, or are you grasping God's vision for your life? Do you see yourself as thrown to the winds of whim, or specifically directed by the wind of God's spirit?
Joseph and Mary couldn't see the reason for their inconvenience. And neither can we. But we have a God who sees the reason for all things, and He is trustworthy to make perfect sense of what seems nonsensical.
Believer, you are in the hand of God. Don't be thrown off course by the winds of change. If you are being challenged by mandates and forces beyond your control, remember that God saw all the days of your life before you were born. He has determined your life experiences to work for His good. So, take heart -- and trust Him and His plan.
Love,
Joelene
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