God over all

by Lori Cenzer

Luke 2:1 says, “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.”

Shocking...count the whole world?! And what about this young woman who is about to deliver her first child? How can she and her husband be asked to go on a 4-7 day journey, very likely on foot?

Doesn't it look like Mary and Joseph were just pawns at the mercy of this powerful king? Of course, we know the story. We know that God was sovereign over the entire situation, actually causing all things to work together for His holy will to come to pass, even fulfilling prophecies of old. (Micah 5:2)

What about us? Do we feel at times as pawns in the hands of those who can exert their authority over us, frustrated over decision making that puts us in hard situations? To the outsider, the journey of Mary and Joseph may have seemed disastrous. I am sure it was not at all what Joseph and Mary were expecting or hoping for.

Right now we also have circumstances that are quite unexpected and bewildering, if not terrifying. But we can be sure that God our Father is just as much in control today as He was when Caesar Augustus sent his harsh demands upon the world of Joseph and Mary. 

But how can we be sure that we are cared for just as much as Joseph and Mary? After all, they were carrying the Holy Son of God; of course, He would make sure they were protected.

God has graciously given us His Word and His promises to assure us and comfort us. 

Deuteronomy 31:6 - “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or in dread of them, for the Lord your God is the One who is going with you. He will not desert you or abandon you.”

Hebrews 13:5-6 - “...For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you" so we may boldly say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Psalm 118:6 - “The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?"

Romans 8:35 asks, “Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Then in verse 37, it says, “...in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Keep reading in verses 38 and 39 and find that nothing is able to separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. And it's a daunting list of adversaries! 

Do you hear the phrase "the love of God" being repeated in these verses in Romans? 1 John 3:1 says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God!" We are His beloved children if we are in Christ Jesus. We will be watched over and cared for with the same diligence and care as God watched over Joseph, Mary, and the unborn Jesus. We may, as they too must have been, be surprised at the difficult and seemingly uncertain journeys we encounter, but as they also found, a Holy plan was unfolding that was far greater than they could have ever imagined! Psalm 119:91 tells us that all things serve our God. Indeed, even the wind and the waves obey Him.

Read through Psalm 47 and let us rejoice in the truth that Our God reigns over all!