Matthew 2: 1-12 "When it was time to leave, they [wise men or royal astrologers or magi] returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. " (v. 12; NLT - Life Application Study Bible).
Have there been any ways that Jesus has affected the direction of your life? Am I writing to one who has believed in God as creator as far back as s/he can recall? Are you a relatively new convert trying to get a grip on why the Bible and mode of thinking entices so many and remains relevant? Or are you simply a 'seeker' of something of substance that you can identify with, hold onto and give meaning and purpose to your existence? I don't intend any condescension using the word simple and cannot easily satisfy those 3 categories, nor the possible myriad of levels of our pursuit of a power greater than ourselves! So, I leave that to the Spirit of our living God, and this corner then, attempts to keep the focus on the passage +/or message of the week, as it has impacted or is affecting my mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Are you tracking with me? Do you and I regularly break and try to equate God's possible plan, to events, conversations or encounters that cross our path(s)? Does God speak to you in dreams, like the wise men?
What is it with the appeal of the power of denial ? My Oxford dictionary uses synonyms of: disavowal of truth, repudiation, disclaimer & rejection for defining this thing that is far too easy to fall into. My experience is that being swept up into disavowing the truth is usually subconscious oblivion until the emotional toll awakens enough to rid myself of [that] pain. That oblivion is way easier than the work of getting at the truth, but I for one am elated, that the 3 traveling sages failed to deny the still-small-voice from their dream and went home by another route. Prayer: Might you and I try an alternate path in our apathy or fear toward dealing with a difficult situation or person, intuitively taking our gifts into account? In the case of the 'new-seeker', I recall encouraging middle-schoolers to find 30 seconds a day for a week to listen or speak to God, or read His word; then 40 seconds next week; 50 the third, and increase by 10 secs. weekly until reaching 20 or so minutes daily AND if their life hadn't improved they might abandon their new habit, knowing they had done their part to enlist God's Spirit, understand Christianity a bit better and consider trying again a year later because it works for many.
We may have denied recent signs or voices, resulting in a fatality and disruption of governance on the day of Epiphany this week, but God is still in charge. Epiphany remains possible; "God is King over the nations. The leaders of the nations meet, ..the leaders of the earth belong to God." (Psalm 47: 8-9).
Like the Magi may we follow God's voice....& wear the belt of truth honorably! .....Deacon Kevin