The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Earthly? Heavenly!"
God often does supernatural things through natural ways and means.
"And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy Him. When he arose, he took the young child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called My Son" (Matthew 2:12-15).
Why not just send legions of angels to quell any possibility of jeopardy to the Lord Jesus Christ rather than sending just one to warn Joseph to flee Herod? Such a means of rescue seems more human than Divine. It was both actually, which speaks to the point of the Lord Jesus as the God who became man, and the man who remains God. In Him, the supernatural and the natural unite, revealing that our Father's Heavenly workings through Christ often occur in ways that seem decidedly earthly. "Is not this the carpenter's son?…. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us" (Matthew 13:55; John 1:14).
In lifetime wherein we "walk by faith, not by sight," we must know this way of God that sometimes seems more like the way of man (II Corinthians 5:7). Indeed, our Lord can merely speak and make a universe. To redeem His creation after the entrance of sin, however, He must take upon Himself a portion of the natural order of things. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same" (Hebrews 2:14). Nothing more supernatural ever occurred as the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and conceived the Divine in the human. However, few knew or could see the wonder of the womb wherein God entered His world. It all looked so natural to most. However, nothing could have been further from the truth as the Spirit of God executed a supernatural miracle beyond all understanding. "Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh" (I Timothy 3:16).
We must expect this way of God in our lives. The Heavenly abides, moves, and works in that which appears so very earthly. Sometimes, a portal will open, allowing the light of the Beyond to shine so brightly that we see its presence and activity in the midst of our here and now. Often, however, that will not be the case as "not by sight" beckons us to see by faith that which cannot be viewed by the eye. We must therefore build a strong foundation of confidence and understanding that God's supernatural working rides upon the rails of the earthly and the natural. It must be this way in a salvation that required God to redeem us not by mere decree, but rather by a human death suffered by His beloved Son. Moreover, the Lord Jesus is risen from the dead as a man, still bearing the prints of nails upon His body to bear witness that Heaven's glory must be seen and known in obscure and unlikely ways that seem far more earthly than Divine.
"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."
(John 7:24)
Weekly Memory Verse
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
(Romans 5:1-2)
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