Mensa Otabil - The Lord Still Leads
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We’re continuing our reflection on the breath of Jesus Christ from Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 2, Verse 9, and it reads: «When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was.»
Immediately, the wise men left the palace of King Herod. The star reappeared, and that’s one of the reasons why I believe that the star is an angelic expression or manifestation, because the star seems to have the ability to appear and disappear. It also appears that only the wise men were seeing the star; others were not seeing it. So, this is supernatural activity that is guiding them-men who didn’t know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who didn’t know the God of the Bible, but whose hearts were hungry to know God. God is leading them to the place where they will find the Savior of the world.
So, the passage says that the star went before them. The star went ahead of them. To follow the Lord, we must let Him take the lead. We don’t go our way and expect God to follow us; God shows the way, and we follow. And that’s what is happening to these wise men: they allow the star to take the lead, and they follow behind. It’s very similar to how Israel was led by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire and also by the Ark of the Covenant in the wilderness. The presence of God would take the lead, and they would follow. And that’s what is happening here: the star takes the lead, and the wise men will follow.
We cannot lead ourselves and hope that the Lord will back our wishes. As a matter of fact, God does not answer our prayers because of our need or because of our sake; He answers a prayer for His own glory. He does it for His own will, for His sake, for His glory. So, God takes the lead, and we follow. If you want to truly be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, then you have to allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. You have to allow His Word to guide you so that you can follow instead of leading yourself and minding your own business. So, that’s the first thing: the star went before them; it went ahead of them. The second thing is that the star stood where Christ was.
This is a journey of hundreds of miles from where they were, for a two-year period-just traveling. One day, this star they have been following for two years settles somewhere, and it is where Christ was. So, what do we learn from that? Every supernatural experience we have, whether we have a dream or we have a vision or we have an angelic visitation, whatever it is, must ultimately lead us to where Christ is. Any supernatural experience we have that does not bring us to Christ is not of God. If it is of God, this spiritual experience must bring us to the Lord Jesus Christ so we can find Him, know Him, serve Him, and live for Him.
Because sometimes people seek spiritual experiences, and they talk about things like, «Oh God, show yourself to me; oh God, do this for me,» and they’re looking for an experience for its own sake. Or maybe you hear somebody give you a prophecy, but it doesn’t point you to Christ, and nothing in the prophecy challenges you to change. Nothing in the prophecy challenges you to be a better person.
So if you are bitter, you’re still bitter; if you’re angry, you’re still angry; if you’re committing adultery, you’re still committing adultery. You’re living your own life but still hearing a supernatural word; that’s not how it works. If it is of God, it will bring you to the feet of Jesus Christ, and that is where we find transformation.So the journey of the wise men ends with where Christ was, and I pray that every journey you take, every quest of your life, every desire of your life, and every prayer or answer to prayer will ultimately lead you closer to the Lord Jesus Christ so you can live for Him and serve Him with all your heart.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, lead me, and I will follow. Help me to seek spiritual experiences that lead me closer to Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen.» Well, tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and the next day will be Christmas Day. I’ll catch you tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.