Friday, December 21, 2012

His Plan

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They were living in difficult times. The oppressive boot of Rome had come down heavily on Palestine. The people staggered beneath the weight of poverty and unjust taxation. To make matters worse, the Emperor, Caesar Augustus, had  issued a decree that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. Quite a proposal even for one who considered himself to be a god.

It would require everyone to travel to the city of his ancestors to register for a census that would enable Rome to tax them even further. For one young couple, it would mean traveling seventy miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem – a difficult journey under the best of circumstances, nearly impossible for a teenage girl only days away from giving birth to her first child.

What went through Joseph’s mind as he looked with tender eyes at his young fiancee? Did he question God’s timing in all of this? Did his mind reel with  imagined scenarios of what could go wrong? Suppose Mary’s labor begins on the road to Bethlehem? Suppose she has complications? How will I keep her safe?
Or did he remember the words of the prophet – words he had surely read:

“But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”  Micah 5:2

Please continue reading at Laced With Grace. Thank you so much kind friends.

Blessings,
Linda