Saturday 23 June, 2018

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Matthew 2:19-23

Have you ever had that situation where you have been notified from on high that you must act now to avoid disaster.

We don’t know much about Joseph, but we do know he had several angelic visitations in dreams. These experiences were so striking he followed the guidance to pack up his family and move to another country.

When we read these stories, we do so with the benefit of hindsight, almost from God’s perspective. Come on Joseph everything will work out, have some faith. However, we live our lives the same as Joseph did, without the benefit of knowing what will happen next. True, may not receive angelic visitation, but it is not uncommon for committed Christians to receive divine guidance.

As a Christian it takes practice to hear the voice of God amidst all the noise of modern life. For me the hearing has never been a problem, it is the responding in the right timing I often mess up.

Joseph heard, and he responded, he heard again, and he responded. No doubt there was fear and doubt, but he still responded. He wasn’t told the eventual outcome of his actions he was given just enough information to avoid disaster.

Not all guidance is about avoiding disaster, sometimes it is about small matters, but it still requires hearing and responding.

So, take the opportunity today and ask yourself ‘am I listening for that small still guiding voice’ amongst the clutter of electronic noise. Am I ready to respond when I hear?

Lord, we thank you that you guide us in the big and small things in life. Please help us to hear and respond to your guiding voice today! Amen

Written by David Newton