Change of Focus

“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under.” Matthew 2:16

            This may seem like a strange verse to quote during the Christmas season. But it somehow seems to fit this year. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, let me give you some context. The wise men, or magi, had followed the star to worship the newborn King of the Jews. Although we call them wise men, they were operating out of human intelligence, not Godly wisdom. As a result, they figured the place to find a newborn king was in a palace. So they went to the ruler, Herod, and asked to see this baby. Herod was not known for being a nice guy. In fact, he had already had family members killed because of suspected plots against him and his reign. True to his nature, he hatched a plan to kill this baby that people were already saying was a king. When the wise men didn’t play into his plan, he decided to just kill all the young boys. I guess he was thinking that there’s no sense in taking any chances! Is it possible to thwart God’s plans? Of course not! Yet that’s exactly what Herod was trying to do. But God had already sent Jesus and His parents to Egypt, far out of Herod’s reach.

            What does this have to do with our Christmas celebration this year? Let me ask a question: Has this last year been what you expected? Can you list some “bad” things that have happened this year? I think we all can. It’s difficult to look at the happenings of this past year and see God working in the midst of those things. Maybe that’s because we’re looking at the wrong things. I think of all those families in Bethlehem whose little sons and brothers were ruthlessly murdered for reasons they couldn’t understand. Those grieving families had no idea that the One Herod was actually after had escaped before the murders began. In fact, they probably didn’t even know that Jesus had been born. They were likely in complete ignorance of this Babe’s existence. Even if they did know of Jesus’ birth, they weren’t thinking about that. They were thinking of the deaths of their own sons and were overcome by their own grief.

            What about us? Are we thinking about all the negative stuff we’ve experienced this past year? Are our thoughts centered on the difficulties we’re going through? Are we overcome with fear of what may or may not happen in the future? Or are we centering our thoughts on what God has done and is still doing in and for us? Are we aware that even when the world around us seems to be swirling out of control, God is still in control? Even when we face heartache, God is there for us. God’s plans can never be thwarted. Our plans are always tentative at best. His can never be changed. Ours are only of this earth. His are eternal. Our plans often don’t have the results we hoped for. His are always for our good.

            But here’s the catch: our plans can be seen, felt and understood. That makes it so much easier for us to dwell on those plans. His plans sometimes don’t make sense to us. But if we keep our eyes focused on Him, we will eventually see Him at work. This Christmas, if your world seems a place of difficulty and hardship, take the time to thank God for His plans for you. Focus your inner eyes on what can’t be seen with earthly eyes. Focus on the Savior in the manger Who grew to give His life for you and for me.