
Journeying
Main Point: If we keep the purposes of God in front of us, we can trust the plans of God will unfold around us.
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. —Luke 2:1-7
When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. —Luke 2:22
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.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 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.” —Matthew 2:13-15
Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. —Luke 2:41-42
None of these journeys in the life of Jesus were chosen, but each one served a purpose in fulfilling God’s plan in his life.
- Government intervention
- Religious customs
Violent enemies
Relational journeys
- Educational journeys
- Vocational journeys
- Medical journeys
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” —Jeremiah 29:11
Takeaway: Trust that God will take you where you need to go to get you where you need to be.
Discussion Questions:
1. What is the best trip that you’ve taken so far in your life? Where did you go? How was the journey there and back?
2. How can we make sure that we are keeping God’s purposes in front of us in our daily lives?
3. God used things like government intervention, religious customs, and violent enemies to fulfill his plans for Jesus’ life. What kind of things has he surprised you by using to fulfill his plans for your life?
Table Discussion Question: What is a journey that you have taken in life that you did not choose, but eventually saw God using it to fulfill his plan in your life? What did you take away from that moving forward?