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Dreams Do Come True
Andrea Lende • November 23, 2020
Matthew 2:12-13
Dreams Do Come True
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Dreams-Do-Come-True-emt5mt
Matthew 2:12-13
“And receiving an answer to their asking, they were divinely instructed and warned in a dream not to go back to Herod; so they departed to their own country by a different way.”
“Now after they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Get up! [Tenderly] take unto you the young Child and His mother and flee to Egypt; and remain there till I tell you [otherwise]; for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him.”
As I continued to read the beautiful Christmas story, the Lord wrapped His arms around me.
His gentle voice whispered to me in the words I read.
He said, I will not miss Him.
He will get my attention as there is need.
He will lead me to His will.
We need not worry about missing His instructions or His will for our lives.
He will show us all we need to know for each moment in time.
We see this demonstrated as the angel of the Lord met with people when God’s plan to send His Son was put into motion.
He spoke with Zachariah about his future son, John the Baptist.
The angel spoke with Mary and told her of her pregnancy and birth of the Christ.
He spoke to Joseph in a dream to continue his plans to wed Mary.
He spoke to the wise men to warn them to take another way back home and not meet with Herod.
He spoke to Joseph in another dream to flee the city, go to Egypt, and await further instructions.
When the threat on Jesus’ life had ended the angel spoke to Joseph again in a dream telling him to go home.
A busy angel indeed!
The Lord had no difficulty getting His message to His people.
And He will have no difficulty reaching us either.
As we tune into His Word and listen for His instructions, we will hear Him.
There are times we may feel anxious not knowing what the Lord wants us to do next.
But if we truly rely on Him, He will find us.
And He will show us what to do in the way we will understand.
Today I am thankful the Lord still communicates with me and will wait upon Him to lead and guide me as He wills.
May you find the Lord will lead and guide you and will not leave you destitute of His perfect plan for you.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me You are present to lead and guide me into Your perfect plan. Just as You led all the people in Your Word You will lead me as well. Thank You, Father, for showing me You are close to me and I do not have to fear You will leave me destitute. Thank You for Your Word that continues to teach me and calm my spirit. As despair mounts in this world today You are my solace. You are my hiding place. You are my strength. You are my peace. Thank You, Lord, for quieting the anxious places in my mind. Thank You for securing my spirit and saving me – not because of me, but because of You. You desire relationship with me. You desire my worship. I worship You, Father. I worship You and Your Holy Name. You are greatly to be praised! I praise You, Lord. Keep me seeking You and worshiping You for all eternity. Keep me Yours. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: You are Mine, sayeth the Lord, and will always be Mine.
Response: Undeservedly Yours, Lord, thank You, Almighty and gracious Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.