WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO

MATTHEW 2:1-10 NKJ 
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 
6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, 
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; 
For out of you shall come a Ruler 
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” 
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 

I know this is a long passage, but I want us to see an important principle.  

When the wise men came to Jerusalem, they did not know what to do. They had seen a star in the East that they understood to be a star signifying the birth of a king. But they had lost sight of the star.   

When arriving in Jerusalem, they asked Herod, who asked the scribes who went to the scriptures. The scribes and priests offered direction from a prophecy that was hundreds of years old. And the wise men acted on that ancient word. When they did, the star reappeared and led them directly to Jesus and His family.   

APPLICATION 

So here is a pattern of what to do when you don't know what to do.   

 Keep moving. Stay active; don't just sit and do nothing. Pray, read, listen, pray again, but don't quit seeking.   


Look for some direction in God's word. You can always ask someone who maybe is more knowledgeable in the scriptures, but you want to go there. There will be times when the direction will not seem to be helping. For example, giving thanks, rejoicing in the Lord, giving all your worries to God, sowing some kind of seed. There is always a word of God you can act on.   


As you act on the scriptures, the light that you have, then more light can come, and the direction can become clearer.   


Through the years, this pattern has been invaluable to Joy and me. When we have been stumped, we go to God's word and look for our next step. In taking those steps, God has been able to direct us. It's much easier to steer a moving bicycle.   

This pattern helped the wise men, and it will help us too. There is direction in God's word.   
 

PRAYER 

Thank You, Father, for Your Holy written word. It is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.