Moments in Matthew . . .
“And when Herod the King heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Matthew 2:3
When the Magi from the east showed up in Jerusalem, they brought trouble to town. Their message of a new Jewish King upset the status quo. Scripture says that Herod the current king was troubled as was all of Jerusalem with him.
The long-awaited Messiah, the promised one, the object of numerous prophecies, the Deliver, God in the flesh finally arrives on scene and how do the people respond? With gratitude and celebration? Strangely, their hearts are troubled.
Here’s a perfect example of the truth that the heart is sick and deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). Christ’s birth, the very thing that should have produced greatest joy instead prompted fear. From the King’s castle to the commoner’s cottage, all of Jerusalem became troubled.
How often do I missinterpret circumstances in my own life? Things that God means for my good, I reject as trouble. Being led by deceptive emotions, I squirm and worry where God would have me wait and trust.
In John 14:1 Jesus exhorts His disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” Is your heart troubled today? Take some time to evaluate. Instead of automatically accepting the things your heart presses you to feel, pause to pray. Quiet raging emotions in the stillness of His presence (Psalm 46:10). Trust His plan.
Jerusalem failed to recognize Salvation because He came unexpectedly wrapped in swaddling clothes. Lord, don’t let me miss Your hand at work by relying on my wicked, faulty, troubled heart. I don’t want to lean on my own understanding. I want to trust in you with all my heart and in all my ways acknowledge You, allowing You to direct my paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). Help me. In Jesus name, Amen.
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