Joel M Bradshaw

1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”–Matthew 2

The magi will teach us something this morning. David first pondered this great principle. You can hear David both wrestling with this matter and also rejoicing.

O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you. (Psalm 139:1-12)

The principle is this: God meets us where we are at. Like Jesus’ famous shepherd parable in Luke 15, God seeks after the lost sheep. We don’t know much about those magi. Most likely they were pagan, polytheistic, Zoroastrian astrologers who divined meaning and messages from the stars. And it was in those very star charts that God met them.

I have had MS for over half of my life. For decades I have wrestled with the sovereignty of God to seek answers to the WHY questions. I no longer do so. I know why God sent this terrible disease. It was to meet me where I was at. At the time, I was a selfish young man who oriented my life around the things that gave me pleasure. I was addicted and depressed, lonely and searching for purpose. I made excuses for hypocrisy and played games with God’s grace. I still look back with regret at that time of my life.

But, It was in this season that God surprised me with a disease that we normally don’t link to 20 year olds. I became numb and weak. I was both shocked and humbled. I had to depend upon my family, friends, and even my fraternity brothers to make it through my day!

God in this season called me to pastoral ministry. But first, I needed to learn to depend upon God. I needed to grow in my trust in Him. It was God’s sovereign plan to give me MS. He met me where I was at and he led me to him. Just like those Magi. I wonder and rejoice just like David.

I am not angry with God for this. MS has deepened my faith for it taught me to daily depend upon God. This trust is the basis for how I now counsel others in their depressions and anxieties. God met me where I was at and continues to do so.

I invite you to ponder your life and how God has written your story. Look for God at work in your life leading you to Him. Merry Christmas Eve!–JMB