PROTECTION PT.2
Matthew 2:13 (KJV)
“And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”
A big part of the birth of Jesus was the devil’s immediate quest to destroy Him. The devil is not all-knowing, but he did know that there was something special about this child. There is a star that appears, the Gentile kings are seeking a king, and prophecy has gone forth—the devil knows what the Word says. That is why he is an expert at twisting the truth. Or could it be that the devil remembered the Garden of Eden, and God telling him that the seed of the woman would come and crush his head? Whatever the trigger, the devil set out to destroy this child. The devil inspired Herod to kill all the babies under two years old. What a tragedy. The devil is ruthless, evil, and always has been. Since his fall from heaven, his desire is to lie, kill, steal, and destroy—but God had a plan to protect Jesus. Really, not only to protect Jesus, but to protect the plan He had from the moment Adam and Eve fell.
God gave Joseph a dream where the Lord gave him specific instructions about where to go and how long to stay. The interesting thing is this: God is a protector of all His children, not just Jesus. He doesn’t just want to protect Jesus and the plan of salvation; He also wants to protect the plan He has for your life.How does the Lord set out to protect you? I think it is similar. First, He will let you know what is coming. John 16:13 promises us that the Holy Spirit will show us things to come. I can’t promise you a dream, but I can promise you—based on Scripture—that He will lead and guide you because you are His child (Romans 8:14).
I also know that there are many protections promised in the Word of God. Psalm 91 is full of promises if we will simply abide under the shadow of the Almighty. We have promises of no plagues, people falling on either side of us but not coming near us, being delivered from the snare of the devil, and angels surrounding and protecting us. All of this results in long life. I don’t know if we realize how much angelic help we truly have, especially at Christmas when angels were so heavily involved. Remember that angels hearken to the voice given to the Word of God. Protection is provided for every child of God—not just physically, but also for the plan God has for their life.
I am inspired to say that there will be angelic intervention for those you love during this season. He will perfect everything that concerns you!