After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! Matthew 2:9-10 (NLT)
The Christmas story is an intertwining of people, places, promises, and prophecies. From the census ordered by Caesar Augustus, to wise men traveling from the East, God was working out His plan. Every prophecy was fulfilled. Not one of God’s promises failed. To the shepherds, He sent a choir of angels. To the wise men, He sent a special star.
Imagine if the wise men had shrugged it off as something ‘neat’ or ‘unusual.’ Suppose they’d checked their calendars and decided it would be too inconvenient, require too much time, too much money, and too much effort. What if they’d started out, then chickened out once they realized this was more than a little jaunt? Thankfully, they committed to following a star so special it landed them right where they were intended to be; in the presence of God.
Did they fully grasp who Jesus was? Did they comprehend he was more than just ‘the king of the Jews’? All we know is that when they saw the star hanging over the place where Jesus was, they bubbled over with joy. They’d accomplished their mission – or rather, God’s mission. They had found the greatest treasure this world will ever hold; Jesus Christ, God Himself made flesh.
Mercifully, we don’t need a special star to guide us to Jesus. We don’t have to rely on GPS technology or astronomy to set us in the right direction. We have His Word to guide us and His Spirit to lead us. When our earthly journey is over, we will end up right where we were always meant to be; in the presence of Jesus.
Thought: “God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer