I missed posting yesterday, but had it written in my head, so I’ll let it count if I post it today, ok?

Ps 18:1-3  “I love you, LORD, my strength.  The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”

I am a major planner.  When we have a trip planned, I start preparing weeks in advance, making a list of things to take, things to get done before we leave, instructions for any kids staying behind.  If we’ll be visiting any of our grown kids, I start a box to put items in that I need to give to them – items they left at our house last time, accumulated Good Housekeeping and Woman’s Day and Readers Digest magazines to pass on, borrowed/to be borrowed movies or books, grandkid goodies.  I still usually manage to forget something, but seldom something critical.  (OK, I did forget my purse on the way to the airport for my Texas trip two years ago, and had to have Cherry scramble to meet us halfway there with it.  But that was an exception!)  I don’t necessarily do “spontaneous” well.

When the Magi showed up to see Joseph and Mary, it wasn’t at the stable, Nativity scenes to the contrary.  (Scripture says they went “into the house where the young child was” – house, not stable, young child, not infant.)  Joe and Mary’s trip wasn’t just a weekender; they had actually settled in for a longer stay.  Joseph may have set up shop to earn a living.  They had probably made friends.  They may even have kept in contact with some of those shepherds who came to the stable.  The proud parents may well have thought, “This will be our home now.”

When the Magi showed up, though, they must have told Joseph and Mary their story, which would have included the fact that they had seen Herod, and that he thus knew they searched specifically for a child by Herod’s own title, “King of the Jews.”  Anyone from Israel would know Herod’s reputation when it came to keeping his rule secure, so the Magi’s news must have been disquieting, to say the least.  When the wise men left, they did so by taking a route different from that previously planned because they had been warned in a dream – and I expect they would have communicated that, too, to the couple.  It is against this backdrop that Joseph gets a second dream visit by an angel.  This time, the angel warns Joe to take Mary and Jesus and hightail it to Egypt because Herod was, indeed, on the warpath for Him.

Because of Joseph’s immediate obedience to the instructions given by the angel in his first visit in Joseph’s dream, it’s no surprise that Joseph is equally swift in following orders this time, especially given the circumstances.  But there sure wasn’t time to prepare for the journey!  As far as we can tell from Matthew’s narrative, the Magi showed up, left, Joe had his dream, and then the family skeedaddled, all in a matter of days.  Up stakes and move out, taking only what a pack animal or two could carry.

I say there wasn’t time to prepare, but that really only refers to Joseph and Mary.  GOD had done preparations.  Remember those gifts from the Magi – the gold, frankincense, and myrrh?  Those weren’t pennies, incense from the corner grocery, and cheap perfume from the five-and-dime!  They were highly valuable, far beyond anything common folk like Jesus’ parents would ever expect to possess.  Voila!  Instant travelling funds.  No need to wait to sell tools or belongings to raise money.  No problem buying a couple of nice little recent model donkeys.  No trouble buying food along the way.  Rent when they got to Egypt?  Covered.  Talk about being provided for!

Somewhere along their way, Joseph and Mary must have heard the news about what happened in Bethlehem.  The massacre couldn’t have taken place long after they had left.   Joseph and Mary may well have known some of those parents who lost sons.  Jesus might have toddled in play with some of those boys.  But although Joseph and Mary could not have helped but feel a tremendous sense of sadness at the loss so many other parents suffered, they must have also been very aware of God’s hand of protection on them.  God’s plans for His Son could not be thwarted by any earthly king with a god complex.  In even just this part of the Christmas story, Joseph and Mary experienced God as all those titles David uses in the opening verses of this Psalm – rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, horn of my salvation, stronghold.

When God has a call on our life and He gives us marching orders, He’s already packed our kit and done all the reconnaissance.  Like Joseph, when God says, “March!”, our response should be, “Hup, two, three, four…”