Follow the Signs

 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14

    Have you ever paused to imagine a city without signs? Without route numbers or street signs to guide the way, how would the mail carrier sort out that mess? No stop signs to halt traffic would cause many a collision. Some may initially embrace the freedom of no speed limit signs, until chaos ensued. We need these signs to successfully find our way.

    Along the road of history, God provided signs guiding us to the Messiah. 

    The prophet Micah foretold where Jesus would be born, in Bethlehem Ephrathah (Micah 5:2), and through Daniel, we learn the timing in which this would take place (Daniel 9:25). The verse above is an unmistakable sign as told by the prophet Isaiah: The virgin birth. (How many of those have happened?)    

    Hundreds of years later, the heavenly host of angels provided a sign to the shepherds of Bethlehem: "Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:11, 12)

    Have you ever wondered why Jesus had no crib for a bed? Our omnipotent God could have coerced any inn keeper to carve out a vacancy, yet the Lord chose the manger so the shepherds would have a definite sign. How many other infants in that crowded city would they find asleep on the hay? 

    For anyone who feels lost, God has given us specific directions to show us the way. Yield to his flesh-and-blood grace, wrapped in swaddling cloths. Stop and give abundant praise to God, who so loved the world that he gave us his Son. Whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have eternal life! Avoid the road hazards. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father expect through me." (John 14:6) I can just imagine a large arrow pointing the way.

All we have to do is follow the signs.

"Now while He (Jesus) was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed in His name." John 2:23