I heard a great message on Sunday telling again the story of the birth of our Lord but I heard it in such a different way than ever before. And today I felt the Lord bring to me insight into a very important truth we need for our lives.
Some wisemen or learned sages from a distant country had been watching the heavens and saw that a "new star" appeared. We don't know what it is they saw, but it lit up the sky. Searching out why they were led to believe a new king was born. We don't know how long it took, some scholars say two years maybe, yet they travelled on. When their search came to an end they found a simple dwelling, a couple of small means and a babe. What they expected to find I do not know, but I can only guess. A king would be found in a palace or his parents would be rich and affluent, someone very important in the eyes of man. They did not find this and I am sure they were surprised.
God keeps doing things like that, we read it in scripture all the time. He chooses the path that man in his own reasoning would not choose. We read about the strangest of characters in the strangest of circumstances, rejected by men but chosen by God. Why pick them? Why indeed.....maybe when someone has little to lean on and no agenda they are easily led by the Spirit of God. When we have all our eggs in a basket, all our ducks in a row, everything carefully planned out we don't leave room for God to do anything radical in our lives. How many times I thought I knew what the next step was in my life, how God's plan was plain to me and the end predictable. How many times I've had to throw out those plans because the Lord had something different in mind. When John and I left the ministry (as men call it) we had no idea what was ahead but we felt the Lord's leading and we were willing to lose everything to follow Him. As we sought Him daily in prayer and worship we felt a stirring and shared our dreams with each other. I have not shared this yet but two weeks before John went home, we went to the Women's prison as we did monthly. As we drove down Route 114 I looked at the trees and heard this.....You both will go down a path neither of you have travelled before. It will seem so foreign but you must go there....."
At the prison again the Holy Spirit came upon me during worship which caused me to I weep softly. ( I never wept at the prison for we are told to be strict and strong). I had a message prepared but He changed it right in the middle of the singing. Scripture and all was made known to me. He had me share on brokeness. How the notorious sinner came weeping and fell at Jesus feet to wash them with her tears and wipe them with her hair. We spoke about true repentance and understanding our need of a savior. The women responded and some wept as we prayed to receive the Lord Jesus.
As we drove away again the Holy Spirit came upon me and said, "You will go through a time of brokeness." I said in my spirit, but Lord I am so happy, it can't get better than this. As I sat beside my husband I thought of how blessed I was to be walking beside such a godly partner.
Two weeks later I knew what He meant. My secure world (as I saw it) was shattered, all my dreams destroyed.......and what I thought was my life came to an end.........but His world, His dreams, His life was not and if I am His then His life is my life. I began following a star a long long time ago, I thought I knew what I would find.....
If I stayed with the map of my making I would be in despair, without hope. But willing to be led where I have not gone before, to be led by the Morningstar to the place where He dwells, well that will bring an adventure of kingdom proportions. I don't want to miss it. I want to be right in the midst of it, right in the middle of His story.
What an adventure those wisemen of old had. They had it because they were willing to go. They left their comfortable homes and lives and what seemed crazy to all their friends was the greatest experience of their lifetime. If we are willing, we can experience it too.....lets follow His star where it may lead.......Let us hear what the Spirit is saying.....
