The inns were full. The restaurants had waiting lists. People had poured into Bethlehem from thither and yon in order to be compliant with the government's mandate: Head to your hometowns to register for a census.
Consider Mary. She'd already been compliant saying of this unprecedented pregnancy, "I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled." (Luke 1:38) Now she had to travel roughly one hundred miles, far from the aid of mother or midwife, at the apex of her pregnancy, with Joseph, with whom she had not yet been intimate. (Matthew 1:18) This whole census conundrum must've been highly inconvenient, to say the least. What did God have in mind?
Upon arrival in Bethlehem, the weary couple could find no lodging. Again, compliance to God's plan was in order as they settled into a stable, sweeping a space for the Great I Am to be born by blood and water.
Consider the startled shepherds, who swallowed their fear before setting about in search of this Messiah. How many babies in the bustling town would be found lying in a manger, of all things? Had Jesus been born in a comfy, rented room, He would have been indistinguishable from any other infant who may have shared his birthday. To leave no room for doubt about the identity of Immanuel, there had to be no room for Him at the inn.
Consider the inconveniences or altered plans in your life this Christmas. Are you being called to compliance as you struggle to understand what God has in mind? Keep in mind God's ways are not our ways; the world does not revolve around us. As long as we are living in the center of His will, everything will fall into place, exactly as it should. It's all part of the Master's plan.
"Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6: 9, 10
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