The Flight Into Egypt
ONE
Blown Plans.
Sunday we celebrated Epiphany, the visit of the Wise men. After they left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said; “Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him”. So, Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt.
Wow, talk about having your plans blown. Joseph and Mary had a home, a business, family and friends, safety and security in Nazareth and now they must fly as refugees to Egypt with only that which they can carry.
I haven’t been chased by a paranoid psychopath king, but I have had my plans blown and I usually do not react well. Normally, I get angry.
We must be responsible and control what we can, but we take it too far. We want to control all things. We want all things to go as planned, and that is pride. Pride is the disordered desire to be in control of all things. The amount of pride we suffer from is brought to light with flights cancelled, sickness, people, events, and circumstances out of our control. You may respond well to many of these but there is one that trips your pride switch. What is it?
TWO
Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the will of the Lord that will be accomplished.”
When things do not go as we planned, that is a good time to have our pride corrected and grow in humility.
One aspect of Pride is the disordered desire to control everything according to our plan. Humility on the other hand, is to know the truth about yourself. You are not God. Yes you are a child of God, you have gifts and must take responsibility but humility recognizes the truth of that matter, we have limitations. God is God and we are not. Jesus is the Lord and master over the world and all that happens.
The first lesson to learn is humility. We are children of God but we have limitations.
THREE
The second lesson that the flight into Egypt should teach us is to trust in Divine Providence.
So many people suffer from anger or anxiety and lack peace because we have lived our whole lives under the illusion of control. We think that if we have enough foresight, make the right preparations, take the right actions, plan for enough variables - we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from loss.
This is an illusion! Can you foresee and control all variables? Of course not. Who can? God.
God is in control. Nothing happens except what He wills or allows. And God works all things for good, for those who love Him. So remember - we are in the hands of God.
We are safe!
FOUR
At every moment God is working His plan for your life. Just as He was for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in the Flight into Egypt.
The question is, will we cooperate or fight against Him? The will of God is like a river flowing. But too often I am stuck in the muck and the weeds on the side of the river, trying to fight against the flow.
How much better if I would go with the flow of the will of God?
Are you also stuck in the muck and weeds, fighting against the flow?
FIVE
It was God’s plan that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus go to Egypt.
God allowed King Herod to do what he did, unfortunately, kill all the little boys in the region of Bethlehem, but fortunately, God works all things for good for those who love him. God gave all those little innocents the crown to go to Heaven.
And how did Joseph and Mary respond? They did not get angry, anxious, worried, or give up. Joseph went with what God was allowing, not against it. That is what we must do. Go with the flow of God’s will, don’t fight against it.
Okay Lord, this is not what I planned. But I will go with you. Help me cooperate!