Hopefully you took time to celebrate the birth of Jesus just over a week ago. It’s hard to imagine all the emotions and thoughts that Mary and Joseph had as Jesus was born into this broken world. How would they be able to parent the Son of God?
Without God’s help, it would have been an impossible task. But God continued to show His mercy and kindness to them. They received multiple signs and encouragement in the first few months of Jesus’s life. Luke tells us in Chapter 2:33 that “Joseph and (Mary) marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.” These included the prophetic words and blessing of Simeon in the temple and the testimony of Anna. In addition, the visit of the wise men (Matthew 2:1-12) with their unique and valuable gifts was part of God’s preparation for the days ahead.
In Matthew 2:13ff we read that, “Now, when they (the wise men) had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.” Do you remember Joseph’s first visit from an angel? It too was in a dream. I’m grateful that the Lord works in ways that build confidence in us. God needed to tell Joseph something difficult – that Herod would try to kill baby Jesus and that Joseph needed to take Jesus and Mary and flee to Egypt.
Once again, we see Joseph awake from the dream and step out and obey. Verse 14 states that “When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt. It is likely this took the gossip back in Nazareth to a completely new level. “Joseph doesn’t even have the courage to come home with his wife and the baby that wasn’t his!”
I am so grateful for the consistency and care the Lord shows us. He knows that “we are but dust” and we tend to doubt. So God speaks in the same way to Joseph on at least 3 or 4 occasions. Not only that but He uses the same angel in at least the 2nd and 3rd dreams.
In Matthew 2:13 the angel says, “Stay there (in Egypt) until I bring you word.” Then when they are in Egypt and Herod dies it says in verse 19, “an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph.” The same angel who told Joseph to go to Egypt now tells him to go back to Israel because those who sought to kill Jesus are dead. Joseph obeys and somewhere along the way God appears to him in yet another dream (the 4th one we see Joseph have) to warn Joseph, so he goes to Nazareth instead of Judea.
How does God speak to you? Do you hear His still small voice? Does He give you pictures? Do you know His presence as you are out in creation? Many of us have a preferred way of “hearing” God and that can be a gift. Enjoy it and be grateful for it.
I also believe that God wants to stretch us to “hear” Him in new ways. Are you willing to believe God will speak to you in a dream? I encourage you to ask Him to and see what happens!
