| “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.” |
| —Luke 2:1-5 |
One of the most difficult concepts for believers in the life-transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ to fully grasp is the concept of the opening and closing of life’s doors. Sometimes, we feel very secure in the pathway that we have chosen for our lives. Then, suddenly, a door closes and we find ourselves in strange territory. Allow me to share the following illustration:
I’ve explained earlier on this blog that in my formative years, I had several life pathways tugging at me for attention. As I moved through my teenage years those pathways narrowed to three possibilities: I could pursue a career in radio broadcasting; I could pursue a career in fire protection; or, I could pursue a calling to the Christian ministry.
As a senior in high school, I felt genuinely called to be a pastor and began to actively move down that pathway. Then, I hit a roadblock during my Freshman year in college. I was thrust into a ministry situation where I utterly and completely failed. I came to believe that I simply did not have the temperament nor sensibility that would be necessary to serve as a pastor. This became so starkly clear that I turned toward the two other pathways: radio broadcasting and fire protection.
Then, another door closed. The 1960s were definitely part of the age of the “thunder throat” radio broadcaster—those deep-voiced announcers who could rattle the glassware in the cupboards if the volume control on the radio was turned up too high. While I was what broadcasters would call “a really good reader”—in other words, I could read news or advertising copy very well with lots of expression and clarity—I had a rather high tenor voice. In fact, during my first radio show when I was twelve years old, I was often mistaken for a female. It seemed that obtaining a radio job would be much harder because I did not possess “The Radio Voice.” So, I turned enthusiastically to my third alternative: fire protection.
Through God’s mercy and grace, I had a wonderful career in fire protection that began in 1965 and ended with a door slammed shut in the summer of 2003, when a chronic infection in my right foot and my profound-progressive osteo arthritis of the knees, hips, and back made it impossible for me to climb stairs and move around sufficiently, so that I could continue to travel and make visits to client’s facilities.
Forced to retire on disability, I was offered the opportunity to volunteer as the Director of Communications at a large downtown church. All of my investment in radio broadcasting, my college degree in Writing and Psychology, my skills with audio systems, my managerial abilities, all came into focus in this new endeavor. I poured my heart into this new task. Then, a new pastor came and he wanted me out. I still do not know exactly why, but another door slammed shut.
God opened still another opportunity to work with my long-time friend and spiritual mentor, the Rev. Dr. David R. Mains, and help him expand his opportunities and channels for ministry to pastors. And, that’s where I am to this day.
In each of these cases, God moved me from place to place according to His good pleasure. The slamming of doors was never a pleasant experience for me. I often felt hurt, disrespected, abused, emotionally harmed, profoundly disappointed, and filled with discouragement. But, hindsight has always revealed a greater purpose in God’s actions that ultimately proved to be in my best interest.
When God wants to move one of His children from one place to another, He often uses external means to accomplish this movement. Such was the case with the birth of His one and only Son, Jesus.
The Prophet had foretold the birth of the Messiah would take place in the City of David, Bethlehem. But, Mary and Joseph lived far to the north in the Galilean town of Nazareth. How would God move these two precious children of His to the place where they needed to be, in order to fulfill the promise of Scripture? Let’s examine how God did it, as Dr. Luke so beautifully records in Luke 2:1-5:
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
(Note: to the mindset of all Jews, the direction toward Jerusalem was always considered “up”—so even though Joseph and Mary had to travel south, because Bethlehem was so close to Jerusalem, their direction of travel was considered “up.”)
God used the Roman government to call for a tax census that would require all Jewish occupants, and all other occupants, to return to the city of their family lineage, so that they might be counted and taxed to further pay for the immense building program going on in Rome. To Rome, it was all about the money. To God, it was a way of moving this precious, chosen family to the exact place He wanted them to be.
As we begin this day, let us remember that God wants us where He wants us. He will do whatever is necessary to place us where He feels we need to be. So, when doors slam in our faces, let’s ask ourselves whether this is simply an act of someone willfully desiring to harm us, or is it possible that God is using this occurrence to move us to where He wants us to serve Him for the next portion of our journey.
We must always remember that God never makes mistakes. He always has our best interest at heart. That should greatly encourage us, as we faithfully and obediently follow whatever pathway He opens before us.
Based on a blog originally posted on Saturday, December 24, 2016
