I’ve always loved to hear the story of the Wise Men who
traveled so far to honor baby Jesus with gifts fit for a king.
A few years ago at Christmas time I was struggling to truly
trust God’s provision for our family. I believe the Holy Spirit showed me
something in the story of the Magi that helped me to see how practical God is
when it comes to our day to day lives.
Luke 2:22 says
that Mary & Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem to be consecrated to the Lord
and to offer a sacrifice for their first born (in accordance with the Law of
Moses). In those days, if you were poor, you could substitute a lamb for a pair
of doves or two young pigeons (Lev. 12:8). This tells us that Mary & Joseph
couldn’t afford a lamb.
We know the Wise Men found Jesus and presented him with
Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh - very valuable gifts! God didn’t just allow the Wise Men to shower
them with gifts just because Jesus was the Son of God, or the future Savior of
the World…He was also being very
practical and taking care of their needs.
Right after the visit from the Wise Men, an Angel came to
warn Joseph of danger – He instructed him to flee to Egypt until it was safe to
return because King Herod sought to kill Jesus.
Now the Bible doesn’t say, but since Joseph & Mary were
too poor to provide a lamb for a sacrifice, I’ve often wondered if they used
the gifts from the Magi to flee to Egypt and live there until Herod died.
It would be just like God to be so practical – He has a
purpose behind everything! When I looked
at His provision for a trusting young couple and a helpless baby (who just happened
to be His Son), I began to see His provision unfolding in the story of the Wise
Men’s gifts. It reminded me of how I can trust Him to keep
His promises (Phil.
4:19).
