The Young Family Farm

How worth it this journey is. To hear a little one saying, “I saw Jesus in the dark clouds…there was a beautiful bright light behind them and it made me think of Jesus.” To share with them how amazing this is because Jesus is the Light in the darkness–and the Light of the world. The words of a child…“I just saw Jesus all over my heart today over and over again. And my heart kept making me do nice things.” This is seeing Jesus on our journey. What a treasure to write these down and put them in our treasure box to present to the King and encourage us along the way.

The Road Less Traveled… {Day 3}

The Magi’s journey required traveling through this…And more of this…And I bet you have never thought about it—but did you know it also required traveling through this:

And if the only way for them to find the baby they sought to bless was by following this…

THEN…it meant they could only be directed when most of us like to sleep.

It. Was. Not. Easy.

It was probably one of the most ambitious journeys ever attempted during this time!

He who called them would lead and guide them.

BUT as they went through this…

And more of this…

And EVEN this…

I bet there were times they wanted to turn around. I bet there were times they questioned if this was really what they heard God say. I bet they wondered if they were on the right track.

He who called them would protect them. The word had spread–and they would need protection from thieves who had already heard of their incredible venture as indeed each town would meet them and hear their story–and the word would pass of this unbelievable story from reputable travelers who were known to be wealthy and carrying gifts.

The Lord who called them would also protect them from the territory they traveled through that was ruled by the Roman Empire. Have you ever thought that it was God’s protection asking them to follow a star?! Although at first the thought of following a STAR seemed wild—although at first realizing they would only know their way BY NIGHT when they could actually see the star–they later would realize that God has a purpose FOR THEIR GOOD–EVEN though it might not have made a lot of sense at first. HE CAN BE TRUSTED and He leads and guides us for our good because He loves us!
The Magi would travel at night which would help them when traveling through dangerous territory–and in the daylight they would have to some times hide in protection and rest for night ahead’s journey.

Some times the Lord will lead you into what will FEEL like periods of hardship or dark times to actually protect you and ultimately bring you to the place He desires you to be, to bring Himself glory, and to help YOU see His glory and experience Him fully.

There were days and weeks where the wisemen were afraid. There were days that they questioned if this WAS REALLY God’s best for them–was this REALLY what God wanted them to do–did they hear Him right?! Was He calling them to the dessert to be attacked, hungry and tired? Would His revelation really be at the end of their journey? Would it really be worth it?

Remember there were many days and nights of uncertainty and darkness in the journey of the Magi. We have the privilege of knowing the END of their story–just as God sees the end of yours. We can imagine the glory they experienced as they saw Jesus as a little one–RIGHT BEFORE THEIR EYES. This was worth traveling for! And God sees our future and knows the days He calls us to follow Him in the darkness will ALSO be worth it as we keep going toward Him.

Trust Him in the dessert, and trust Him in the darkness. He is always with you and with Him you have nothing to fear. He will give you strength…protection…and nourishment for your journey just like He did for the wisemen–just keep looking for Him and seeking Him—and as you seek Him, you will always find Him.

Has there ever been a time when you questioned if God was really with you? Have you ever want to give up on the thing you felt the Lord asking you to do because you couldn’t see the end in sight? He is with you. He will not forsake you. He longs for you to trust Him–in the good days and in the hard days. Like the wise men, it will be worth it! In Matthew 25 Jesus tells the Parable of the bags of Gold where the master entrusts bags of gold to His servants. One works hard and does everything he can with what his master gives him–while another just hides what he is given until his master returns. When the master returns–he rejoices over the servant who multiplied what he was given and says to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21) The Lord has given us gifts to use for His glory. He entrusts us to certain tasks to bring Him glory–and He wants us to shine before men to bring light to Him. It will not always be easy–and there will be some days like the wise men that it’s hard! But He is with us–and it will be worth it when we hear Him say, “Well done–my good and faithful servant!” He sees the end of your story–and He wants you to be reminded today that it will be worth it!

What are some ways you saw Jesus or felt His love today? What is something you can do in the day ahead to use your gifts for His glory?

Dear God,
Thank you for being with the wise men on their journey–for calling them to see Your glory and to have the privilege of traveling across countries just to worship you. So many you could have called–yet you called them because you knew they would hear your voice and they would obey. Open our ears Lord to hear your voice. We want to follow you when you call us–and we want to see your glory and worship you. Thank you for loving us–and for being with us through storms in our lives and always carrying us through. Amen.