Yesterday we pondered what it was that prompted the Magi to set out on their long journey to Bethlehem and saw how it was God’s Word that first drew them in the right direction. And I suggested that something very similar could be said for all those who hear His call today.
But what was it that kept the Magi on course? What was it that drew them ever nearer? And how might the answer to such questions help those who want to know how to faithfully follow Him in the 21st century?
These are questions worth asking, because those who know the Christmas story will tell you that the Magi were led in a way that no-one is guided today. [Matthew 2:2,9] Even so, there are some real parallels that can be made between those ancient astronomers and modern-day believers.
For the point of the guidance in both cases is identical: to bring the one being led to Christ.
And irrespective of whether the star was a burning ball of gas or, as some argue, a manifestation of the glory of God, it no more dictated the Magi’s every step than God’s guidance determines each and every decision made by His chosen people today.
God doesn’t prescribe for us what we should have for breakfast, which sports teams we should support or what career path we should follow. And nor does He dictate to us on more important issues, such as who exactly we should marry or what political party we should vote for. Because whilst there are guidelines for most, if not all of these issues, God doesn’t give specific answers to any of these questions.
At least He doesn’t in my Bible.
Nonetheless, God’s word does tell us all that we need to know in order to be united with Christ, and what’s more, all that’s required to make us, slowly but surely, more like Him.
Which is, ultimately, God’s wonderful plan for all His children. [Romans 8:29]
But we must not forget the role of the Holy Spirit, the one who applies God’s Word to our hearts and minds – convicting us when we wander from the narrow path we are meant to follow, opening our eyes to see in Scripture what, without Him, we would never perceive, and bringing about the attitudinal and behavioural changes that I, for one, so desperately need to make. [John 16:13; Galatians 5:16]
So then, like the Magi of old, today’s believers have a guiding light – the Scriptures that are a lamp to our feet, a light to our path, and the means by which we are made wise unto salvation. [Psalm 119:105, 2 Timothy 3:15]
For as well as the Law – that tells us how we should live, and warns us of the consequences should we disobey – the Word of God also contains the Gospel – the good news of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, that promises forgiveness for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.
And for those who do, there is the sure and certain hope, that they will be saved and led, by Christ, into the welcoming arms of a loving Heavenly Father, who has been walking with us, each and every step of our long journey home.
All of which assures us that, like the Magi, we too will one day see Him face to face. But not as a small child, as they did, but as He is today – the sovereign Lord of the Universe.
And when we do we will, if we are wise like them, fall down and worship Him too. [Matthew 2:11]
To read Day 16 from 2023, click here
To read Day 16 from 2024, click here
Some musings 