“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the Child, to destroy Him.” And he rose and took the Child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. …”
(Matthew 2:13-15a ESV)
God gives Joseph very specific instructions—where to go, and how long to stay there, and why. God isn’t taking any chances with Jesus’ safety.
Neither is Joseph! As soon as the dream is over, he wakes up the family and gets them on the road to Egypt. He doesn’t wait till morning. Joseph is in charge of the Son of God, our Savior—and he isn’t taking any chances with Him.
That’s a great attitude for any parent—and it’s the same attitude God showed toward us when human beings first fell into the power of sin and death. God knew we couldn’t rescue ourselves. And He loved us.
So God Himself came into our world, born as a Man, to be our Savior. When the time was right, Jesus lay down His life on the cross, to save us and bring us safely back to God’s family. And then He rose from the dead, never to die again. God handled our rescue Himself, from beginning to end. God takes no chances with us—because He loves us.
We Pray: Dear Lord, thank You for Your loving care for us. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* In what situations do you feel free to take a chance? When do you not feel free? Why?
* When have you done something yourself, just to make sure it was done right?
* What does that tell you about God’s choice to come Himself to save you?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on January 3, 2025
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights