God communicates to us in various ways, such as dreams, visions, scriptures, people, news, and circumstances. I usually see visions and dreams when I seek Divine Guidance. Dreams and visions will alert us to the forthcoming events. Even if everything looks all right on the outset, the Holy Spirit raises an alarm from within. People who are sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s communication will not ignore the alarm signal from within. As we pray upon the alarm, more revelation follows through. This revelation or discernment is given to us for our understanding and is to be shared with others only when we are led by God.
It is so intriguing to read in Matthew 1 how Joseph accepted Jesus as his son when the angel of the Lord spoke to him in a DREAM. Scriptures are given below for your reading and perusal.
Joseph Accepts Jesus As His Son:
Matthew 1: 18-25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place under these circumstances: When His mother Mary had been promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant [through the power] of the Holy Spirit.
19 And her [promised] husband Joseph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly.
20 But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary [as] your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of (from, out of) the Holy Spirit.
21 She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from [a]failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God].
22 All this took place that it might be fulfilled which the Lord had spoken through the prophet,
23 Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel—which, when translated, means, God with us.
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him: he took [her to his side as] his wife.
25 But he had no union with her as her husband until she had borne her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus.
This is a very major decision of Joseph to take Mary as his WIFE and the Baby within her as his SON. I do not think anyone else would have done as Joseph did. But Thank God for Joseph. If he had brushed aside the dream and not done as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, do you think God would have gone for plan B? While choosing the parents of the Lord Jesus Christ, God was 100% sure that Mary and Joseph would fully obey to execute His mandate.
The WiseMen Receive Divine Guidance and Warning and Saves Child, Jesus.
Baby Jesus is growing under the protection and care of his parents, Joseph and Mary, and is almost 2 years old now. At this time, the Wise Men of the East saw the rising of the Star of the Lord Jesus. They came to the right region but to the wrong location. Since they saw the star of the king of the Jews, they assumed that the baby was born to the king in Jerusalem. Baby Jesus was not in the palace, but only a king who was afraid that his replacement had come was living in the palace. King Herod was disturbed by the news of the Birth of Christ (King of the Jews) and anxiously asked all the chief priests and scribes regarding the birthplace of Christ. Having found out the birthplace of Christ as Bethlehem, he sent the wisemen to Bethlehem to find out and let him know the exact location of the Child. He spoke very cunningly with the wisemen, but God, having known the intention of King Herod, redirected the wisemen from informing King Herod.
The Bible says in Matthew 2
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men [astrologers] from the east came to Jerusalem, asking,
2 Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east at its rising and have come to worship Him
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was disturbed and troubled, and the whole of Jerusalem with him.
4 So he called together all the chief priests and learned men (scribes) of the people and [b]anxiously asked them where the Christ was to be born.
5 They replied to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are not in any way least or insignificant among the [c]chief cities of Judah; for from you shall come a Ruler ([d]Leader) Who will govern and [e]shepherd My people Israel.
7 Then Herod sent for the wise men [astrologers] secretly, and [f]accurately to the last point ascertained from them the time of the appearing of the star [that is, [g]how long the star had made itself visible since its rising in the east].
8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search for the Child carefully and diligently, and when you have found [h]Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.
9 When they had listened to the king, they went their way, and behold, the star which had been seen in the east [i]in its rising went before them until it came and stood over the place where the young Child was.
10 When they saw the star, they were thrilled with ecstatic joy.
11 And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasure bags, they presented to Him gifts—gold and frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And [j]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.”
After worshipping the Child Jesus, the wisemen sought further instruction and were divinely instructed and warned in a dream not to return to Herod. The Magi were not Christians but believed in the Creator, the DIVINE One, and they followed the instruction.
Joseph Receives Instruction Via a Dream to Escape to Egypt
Matthew 2:
The Escape to Egypt
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”[c]
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”[d]
Joseph Receives Instruction Via a Dream to Return Back to Israel
The Return to Nazareth
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
We discuss much less about Joseph, the father of Jesus. His part in executing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, protecting the baby and mother and providing for them in Egypt and in Nazareth is very significant. He was a just and righteous man who was divinely led in fulfilling his destiny given to him by His Creator.
How About You and Me?
How many of us Christians in the current days inquire the Lord and follow divine instructions received in a dream or vision or any divine revelation? How many of us give heed to the communication of the creator or the voice of God, the Holy Spirit, and follow it? We hear the voices of men, prophets, friends, pastors, or voices on social media and make decisions, right?
Through this meditation on the scriptures, it is understood that we need to be divinely led to navigate through life’s journey to fulfill our destiny on the face of the earth.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think mere knowledge of scriptures or worldly knowledge will be enough to fulfill your calling as per Your Creator’s Will? Please feel free to share.
