Today, I read a devotional on Mary, the mother of Jesus. Her words to the angel resounded in me: “I am the servant of the Lord” (Luke 1:38 ESV). God chose Mary for the purpose of carrying and birthing baby Jesus, and she responded with certainty that God chose her.
I also recently read the story of Gideon. His response was not as instant as Mary’s. Instead he asked the angel speaking to him, “Why then has all this happened to us?” (Judges 6:13 ESV). The response: “Do I not send you?” (Judges 6:14 ESV). Clearly, God has a purpose and a chosen one for this purpose.
For writers and editors, we are blessed to be God’s vessels. God chose us to shape words and reach if not the masses then one person. As you write this coming week, remember words touch lives and God chose you to write.
Matthew 2:2 (ESV)—“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When I travel, I usually have a destination in mind. Hotel booked. Tickets purchased. Stops along the route planned. Only once have my husband and I traveled in a random direction with no plan.
I imagine the Wise Men didn’t have their trip planned. They set their eyes on the star and “traveled afar,” as the song says. And they journeyed with their only plan being to worship baby Jesus, the king of the Jews.
In my life, I often have to metaphorically travel toward Jesus. I fall out of practice in reading my Bible and have to start again. I forget to pray about big decisions and a day later ask for God’s forgiveness for not coming to him first and I seek his guidance. I feel anxiety and have to read Bible verses to remind myself of God’s greatness.
No matter my physical, mental, or emotional state, the star of Jesus shines bright as a guiding point. The star leads me to a place of worship, the destination where I can sit at the cross in God’s mercy and glory.
I encourage you to travel toward Jesus today. If you feel lost, if you feel ecstatic, if you feel torn up or some other emotion, repeat this verse and say, “I have come to worship him.”
Philippians 1:23–24 (NIV)—I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
In Iceland, the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates rise above the surface of the earth in Þingvellir National Park. I walked the boardwalk between the two continents, head swiveling back and forth while I adjusted camera settings, pointed, and clicked. I wanted to live in the moment and capture the memories, because when else would I have the opportunity to stand between the continents? Probably never, because Iceland is the only place on the earth where the tectonic plates sit above sea level.
There is another place we, as Christians, stand: between heaven and earth. We have the ultimate example of standing between heaven and earth in the Apostle Paul, who strove to live between his ministry on earth and his reward in heaven. He found joy and encouragement in the spreading of the Gospel and in his fellow believers. He filled others with joy and encouragement through his letters. His life pointed to Christ, despite the metaphorical earthquakes of imprisonment and possible death.
Paul’s letter to the Philippians shows that our chance to stand between heaven and earth has no bounds. We are to mimic Christ in all situations. We are to live with our lives pointed to heaven.
Jeremiah 8:4–6 (NIV)—“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘When people fall down, do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return? Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle.
Before traveling to Iceland, my husband and I watched a comical cartoon video about driving in Iceland. One of the most memorable parts was a car running into a sheep and the sheep toppling over the car. Another part of the video detailed the blind crests and curves, showing one car crashing into the back of another. The important message came through: use care when driving and know the rules of the road.
Charging headfirst into Iceland without this knowledge speaks of disaster waiting to happen, and I can reliably inform you that sheep do roam freely around every bend in Iceland and tourists do stop their vehicles in the middle of the road to catch of glimpse of the sheep and the scenery.
I can imagine Jeremiah 8 as a cautionary video montage of dead bodies lying in the sun, statues of gods falling on top of people, the leaves of fig trees withering, a mass of people clutching their stomachs from hunger, and the voice-over repeatedly saying, “Repent! Ask, ‘What have I done?’”
Yet the people of Judah ignored God, instead stopping in the middle of the road to gaze at their foreign idols, among their other sins. They did not truly know God’s law and did not ask him to explain.
As God’s people, we can ask God how we ran into a sheep in the middle of the road. God wants us to ask, “What have I done?” and to repent. For when we ask, when we study God’s word, when we meditate on it, we receive answers and can stand up again and return to walking God’s path.
Jeremiah 5:22 (ESV)—Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
Last week I sat on the beach with my family, soaking up sun rays, boogie boarding for hours, and even stand-up paddleboarding. I reclined on my beach chair. I sat with my back to the waves with my niece, nephew, and sister, laughing as we tumbled, and spitting out the occasional mouthful of salt water. I felt rested and rejuvenated.
The ocean is about more than rest and fun, though, and this verse in Jeremiah adds to my perspective. The next time I walk on the sand, searching the water for rays, the next time I swim in the ocean, catching waves on a boogie board, and the next time I simply sit in the surf, watching the waves break, I’ll remember God’s power and stand in awe of the One who set the sands into place.
Haggai 1:7–8 (ESV)—Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord.
I have a confession: When I’m on vacation, I often forget to pray, to study my Bible, or to read a devotional. I pack devotional books or plan to read my Bible as soon as I wake up…but the ocean calls, the tour leaves at a specific time, or wildlife snatches my attention, and I promise myself I’ll do it later. Later never materializes.
Even in a time of rest, it’s important that we make God a priority. Building up the Lord’s house is a full-time job with glorious benefits. God takes pleasure when we include him in our travels. He wants to join us on our journeys. But more so, he wants us to remember to put him first, to honor him. He doesn’t want our excuses; he wants us to experience his greatest blessings—and we experience his greatest blessings when we prioritize our relationship with him.
So…new plan for vacation: put my well-meaning thoughts into action and bask in the warmth of knowing I prioritized God (perhaps while basking in the sun on a white sand beach). I pray you do the same in a destination of your choosing!
