Sunday, December 18, 2016
Advent Devotion (Day 22) - They Looked for God
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. . – Matthew 2:11
Wise men, adults of incredible mental capability, men with enough power and position that they could meet with King Herod himself. Were they disappointed to not find the "King of the Jews" at Herod's palace?
What were they expecting when they entered that house? They knew they were looking for a young child but they must have wondered...would he somehow be mighty, dazzling, super human, a powerful presence? We don't know what they thought but we do know that they found normalcy...a young toddler with his mother, surrounded by the signs of a poor life, learning to walk, learning to talk. They had begun their journey looking for the king in a palace but found him in a humble home.
So what did they do? Many might have turned right around and left. This was not a king by the world's definition. This was not what they had travelled to see. This was not the king of their hopes, dreams and expectation. But they didn't leave. Instead, they did what God wants each of us to do when we meet with a situation that does not live up to our expectations...they looked for God.
They looked for God in the humble home. They looked for God amongst the poverty. They looked for God despite their possible disappointment. They looked for God in the face of a child.
And when they found God, they bowed down and worshipped Him. They bowed down out of obedience, out of a realization that God had a bigger plan than their own, out of love for a God who would come to earth through such humble means. They recognized that their ways were not God's ways, their thoughts were not God's thoughts.
May we be like those wise men. May we seek Jesus with all our hearts, look for God in the situations that do not meet our expectations and give Him all that we are, all that we have. That is how we will see God.
Wise men, adults of incredible mental capability, men with enough power and position that they could meet with King Herod himself. Were they disappointed to not find the "King of the Jews" at Herod's palace?
What were they expecting when they entered that house? They knew they were looking for a young child but they must have wondered...would he somehow be mighty, dazzling, super human, a powerful presence? We don't know what they thought but we do know that they found normalcy...a young toddler with his mother, surrounded by the signs of a poor life, learning to walk, learning to talk. They had begun their journey looking for the king in a palace but found him in a humble home.
So what did they do? Many might have turned right around and left. This was not a king by the world's definition. This was not what they had travelled to see. This was not the king of their hopes, dreams and expectation. But they didn't leave. Instead, they did what God wants each of us to do when we meet with a situation that does not live up to our expectations...they looked for God.
They looked for God in the humble home. They looked for God amongst the poverty. They looked for God despite their possible disappointment. They looked for God in the face of a child.
And when they found God, they bowed down and worshipped Him. They bowed down out of obedience, out of a realization that God had a bigger plan than their own, out of love for a God who would come to earth through such humble means. They recognized that their ways were not God's ways, their thoughts were not God's thoughts.
May we be like those wise men. May we seek Jesus with all our hearts, look for God in the situations that do not meet our expectations and give Him all that we are, all that we have. That is how we will see God.
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