GO TO BETHLEHEM

A flat tire, sick kids, a last-minute change of plans…interruptions come in lots of different ways. Many times, we don’t handle them well. Yet some of God’s greatest works have come through interruptions.

That’s exactly what happened to Mary and Joseph. “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world” (Luke 2:1 NIV). Just like that, their quiet life in Nazareth was interrupted. The government required everyone to travel to their family’s hometown to register, which meant a ninety-mile journey to Bethlehem—on foot, with a very pregnant Mary. Talk about bad timing.

But what looked like a major inconvenience was actually divine direction. Centuries earlier, the prophet Micah had written that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). God used that interruption to steer Mary and Joseph into the exact place where He would fulfill His promise.

The interruptions that throw you off course may be the very ones positioning you for divine purpose. Before you call something an inconvenience, ask God if it’s actually an invitation. Like Mary and Joseph, you can trust that even an unwanted detour can carry you exactly where God wants you to be.