Their Desire to Grow

Matthew chapter 2

Right place, right time gets the right result.
The wise men found what they were looking for.
Herod did not find what he was looking for.
The wise men had been on a journey of discovery.
A famous song says, “I still have not found what I am looking for.”

These men did find what they were looking for.
They were looking for a king.
But they found a baby.
Yes, a baby king.
They were overjoyed but Herod was scared.
Why was a grown man afraid of a little baby?
Because he knew that little things grow.
So he tried to stop that growth by using death as a weapon so the future would not unfold.
He tried to adjust the future by killing something in the present.
God was too smart for him and Mary and Joseph left town in the middle of the night.
For most people this is happening in a more subtle way.
We may not be in physical danger; we may be subject to a more devious plot.

Weariness can cause desire to subside.
The death of a desire is invisible but it is still tragic.
A desire that grows to fruition becomes visible and can change our lives in a positive way.

The journey of the wise men went through three phases.
They saw a star…they saw a baby and then the eyes of their hearts were opened and they saw a king.

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
On coming to the house, they saw the child.
Matthew 2:10-11

A desire had been burning in their hearts for a long time.
Now their invisible desire manifested into a very visible moment.
Something they would remember for the rest of their lives.
They were glad they pushed through all the obstacles.

A fountain of refreshing opened up within them and within that house.
But danger was around the corner and they were warned in a dream to change their plans.
They were told to travel by a different route.
Their safety was important to God even after they had fulfilled God’s purpose.
God values all human life, he protects and provides.
He provided for Joseph and Mary by causing strangers to find them and financially favour them.
Then God provided an escape plan.

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.
“Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt”.
Matthew 2:13

God did not allow them to be tested beyond their capacity.

And God is faithful; he will not let you be tested beyond what you can bear.
But when you are tested, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13

After a while Mary and Joseph stopped hiding.
The people of Nazareth were ready to help them start their new life.
This was a safe place for Mary to raise her family.
A good place for Joseph to open his business.

Once again God had guided them out of danger and into a place of peace and provision.
Their desires did come to pass.
Perhaps not in the way they had expected.
They ended up in the right place at the right time surrounded by the right people.
People who would show them the favour they needed.
A season of growth was upon them.
The growth that only God can give.

This was the place they had been looking for.

Written by Tony Egar