Mensa Otabil - God Works His Will In World Events
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We are in Luke chapter 2, verses 1 and 2. And it came to pass in those days that the decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. God uses all kinds of human and natural activities to bring about His purposes, and in our passage today, we see how God moves events to align us with His predetermined counsel. Many times, the events of life are orchestrated by God to position us where He wants us to be.
Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, but the prophecies about the birthplace of the Messiah indicated that the Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem of Judea. So, how does Mary move from Nazareth, her natural place of residence, to Bethlehem? Well, God could have done many things; He could have sent an angel again to tell her to move. God could have spoken to them in dreams, and the Lord could have chosen many other ways to get Mary to the place He wanted her to be.
However, the Lord used a normal civic activity to move them, showing us the versatility of God and all the other ways in which He can guide us. At this time, a gentleman named Quirinius was the governor of Syria, under which Judea fell, and that is where Nazareth and Bethlehem were located. A policy came from this governor that people should go to their best place to be registered for tax purposes. This was a tax registration; it wasn’t a census in the sense of accounting for the citizens in a location but to move people to the location where they could be properly taxed.
Now, if you were a Jew, you would hate this, because the Jews were in their land, ruled by the Romans, who bullied them. This would not be a very palatable decree. Yet, look at what God did with this decree. Something that was supposed to be unpalatable was used by God, and this decree moves Joseph from Nazareth to his ancestral home of Bethlehem.
We must always remind ourselves that God rules in the affairs of life; some of the things you may think are draconian and not palatable, and you may even fight against, may actually be God using the events of history to place you where He wants you to be. Mary and Joseph were not in the council or the senate where this decision was made, yet God was there, and God ruled in the council or the senate that made this decision.
So, what do we learn from this? We learn that God uses the events of life—sometimes historical events that may not even seem to be to our advantage. But if we trust Him and obey Him, He can use what you may dislike to work out His purposes. This decree destabilizes and disrupts the life of Mary and Joseph, but it is God’s hand bringing them to their prophetic destiny. May God bring you to your prophetic destiny through the events of life, and may everything work together to position you where God wants you to be. Let’s share a word of prayer together; say with me, «Heavenly Father, lead me by Your Spirit, even when I don’t understand everything that is happening all around me. In Jesus' name, amen.»
And amen, my friend. God is ruling in the affairs of your life, and He will bring you to your prophetic destiny. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.