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Do Not Miss the Manger


                                       

                                                  

We had been driving for hours. Finally, in the distance, we could see the long-awaited exit ahead that would lead us to a few hours of blissful sleep. With a one-month-old in tow, I was so relieved. We had reached our destination, or so we thought, only to be nosed to nose with a detour sign at our planned exit.
My spirit sank as we began the drive down the winding road, moving farther and farther away from the hotel we had almost reached, until it resembled a tiny dot in the distance. What was intended to be a short interruption in our travel route turned into a two-hour ordeal! We circled the city, confused by the major construction in the darkness and the lack of a clearly marked path to our destination. Repeatedly, we missed our exit and wandered around for a long time before finding our destination. It had been just a short distance from the original detour.
Thousands of years ago, another group of weary travelers missed their exit. En route to the promised land of Canaan, the Israelites, lacking faith, took a detour that changed the course of their lives and limited the plan of God for them for an entire generation. This wandering group was given clear directions on how to seize the land God had for them. Some were even given the chance to see the land with their own eyes beforehand to report its beauty and benefits to the waiting people. Yet even most who saw it did not rally the people to take the land as God intended. Instead, they doubted God's ability to give them the land. Instead, they opted for a detour that included doubt, powerlessness, and even unbelief.
How unfortunate! The distance between them and the promised land was approximately 200 miles, only an eleven-day journey. The tragedy of this entire happening is more than the inconvenience of a bit of wandering. No, this miscalculated decision cost them forty years of walking with no exits in sight. By their own decision to go another way, God's chosen children took the artificial detour of unbelief, and they missed this beautiful, sustaining, and lasting promise of God.
Detours affect much more than travel plans. Such bends in the road or detours in life that have uncalculated costs can affect our spiritual condition, opportunities, and relationships, to name just a few. The result of such "misses" seems to deepen our regrets for "should have" paths not taken, and, without focus, leave us wandering too!
Though we may get off the intended path for our lives from time to time, God, if we are willing, is ready to order our steps, reset our plans, and guide us right back into the center of His will for our lives. No wandering, no confusion required. It begins with faith that He can and will do just that for us!
This season, we see the manger in many lights. It's the center of the Christmas play at church, lit up on the lawns of believers through our neighborhoods, it's mentioned in many songs of the season, and well, for me, it graces my coffee table each year. Regardless of where we see it, we should take care not to miss the rich meaning of such an ordinary object, for it resulted in the ultimate sacrifice of a Father, the interruption in the plans of a young man and woman, and a test of faith for all mankind. All of which have resulted in the fulfillment of an eternal promise for each of us that will endure forever if we do not miss it.
Do not miss the manger. A bed, made of stone rather than wood, was a cradle for the newborn king, Jesus, and a foreshadowing of His rejection. He was "the stone the builders rejected." 1 Peter 2:7 (NIV)
Do not miss the manger for above it was the Star of Bethlehem guiding those who heard the good news to the place where the King of Kings, chosen by the Father yet still unknown, took his appointed place, in a lowly feeding trough. Somehow this humble box amid the hay and stubble marked his grand entry, His debut to save a lost and dying world.
Do not miss the manger. Kneeling beside it were two young, yielding parents who willingly sacrificed their life plans for the will of their Father, God.
Do not miss the manger, for around it stood shepherds, simple, ordinary men, chosen to be the eyewitnesses of God's plan to save every person.
Do not miss the manager. It holds the life that can live eternally in your heart.
Do not miss the manger. It is there that we receive the sure foundation for our lives.
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
A chosen cornerstone.
And the one who trusts in Him
Will never be put to shame." 1 Peter 2:6


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