Advent Daily Devotional - Day 17
Matthew 2:7-8 (NIVUK)
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.
It’s a rainy day and Levi is playing hide and seek with his Daddy. Crouched in the middle of their living room, his small body is curled up into the tightest ball possible. His eyes are squeezed shut and his hands pressed against his ears believing with all the conviction of a 5-year-old that “if I can’t see anyone, then no one can see me”! But of course, Levi is very much exposed in plain sight and Daddy knows EXACTLY where he is!
In a way, this likely story mirrors that of King Herod here. Threatened by the birth of the "King of the Jews," Herod, a powerful ruler, displays this “all-concerned and reverent” attitude over the news of the newborn, which we know was not motivated by genuine worship but a ploy to deceive the wise men so that he could find baby Jesus and hopefully eliminate every potential threat to his power. Beneath the surface was a troubled heart full of fear, manipulation, and a desperate need to protect his position.
But here's the thing: God's plan can NEVER be derailed by human plans, intentions or scheming.
Herod's deception was as transparent to God as Levi’s hiding place was to his Dad. The Lord saw the wickedness in Herod's heart, just as he sees the hidden depths of our own. No matter how cleverly we may try to conceal our fears, doubts, and sins, we cannot hide from the One who knows the true motivations that drive our actions, the anxieties that keep us up at night, the areas of our lives where we stubbornly want to control. We cannot outsmart our ‘all-knowing, all-seeing and all-wise Creator’ who knit us together in our mothers' wombs (Psalms 139:13).
Maybe you’re curled up, have your eyes shut tight and have convinced yourself that if you don't look, if you pretend hard enough, your fears, secrets and struggles will remain unseen. The good news is our loving Father sees us and offers us grace, compassion and the opportunity to surrender our attempts at ‘disguising’. When we stop trying to hide and instead come before Him with open hearts, we find a love and acceptance that shatters our fears.
This Christmas be reminded that God sees you – completely and compassionately – and beyond the surface of your current circumstances whatever they may be. Know that His plans do not hang on your ability to manage them but on His unfailing love, sovereign plan and faithfulness. Embrace the truth that you cannot hide from God and in that knowledge, may you find the courage to fully trust Him with all your life.
Questions…
Are you feeling pressured to be someone you’re not or presenting one face to the world while entertaining different intentions secretly or hiding your real struggles?
Are there areas where you’re holding on to control out of fear or you’re manipulating situations to protect yourself, rather than surrendering to God's perfect plan?
Ask God to reveal any hidden motives, to cleanse your heart, and align your heart with your outward expressions of faith. The Psalmist wrote in 139:23-24 - “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Today's devotional was written by Yinka Fatokun.