Another Purpose

W

hen I was a little boy, I hated going to the doctor.  Not that I love going now, but I really hated it then.  My only concern is whether or not the nurse would stick my finger in order to check my hemoglobin.  This singular event ruined my entire day and left me in a state of perpetual fear. I asked my mom over and over again if my finger was going to be stuck, knowing full well the answer would be yes.  I felt that the entire reason for my appointment was for the nurse to stick my finger when in reality there was another purpose, making sure I was in excellent health.

God always has another purpose, a purpose we don’t see or understand, for placing us into the various circumstances in our lives.  We see the difficulty but God sees the end result!!  It is that way for Mary and Joseph as they travel along the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  Yesterday we focused on the arduous journey and the long and winding road leading to Bethlehem.  Today, we will see that there is a dual purpose for the journey.  There is Joseph’s perspective and then there is God’s.

In Luke 2:5 we read, “He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.”  Please notice the purpose of Joseph’s visit. He goes to Bethlehem to register in accordance with Caesar’s edict.  Although we are told that Mary is expecting, at no place in this passage is it stated that Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem in order to give birth.  While the possibility of Mary giving birth may certainly have been on Joseph’s mind, and probably weighed heavily on it; it was not his purpose for her to give birth in Bethlehem.  Joseph certainly intended to register and return home as quickly as possible.

As we shall see tomorrow, God’s purpose was very different.  Bethlehem was the goal, the place where Jesus would be born and the world would forever change.  Already in Bethlehem, the shepherds who will hear the angels’ message are tending their flocks.  In the Far East, the wise men who will eventually make their way westward following a star are going about their daily lives not knowing the role they will lay in such a short time.  Herod is alive, and somewhere, in towns and villages all across the region, the men who will become Jesus’ twelve disciples are growing up or are soon to be born.  John the Baptist has already been born and Pontius Pilate, the governor who will condemn this child to death, is pursuing his political career.

Yes, they are all accounted for and Joseph must take Mary to Bethlehem to fulfill the purpose God has for him.  This is our encouragement today.  God has a purpose for all of us, for me and for you.  We cannot always see that purpose but when the time is right, God will reveal that purpose and we will understand the reason for it all.

Wherever you are today in your journey with the Lord, understand this that whatever you understand about your circumstances there is another purpose behind them that God is using to get you into position for him to use you.  Just keep walking!!