The story of Jesus and the Wise Men (Magi) continues in Matthew 2:

“When they (Magi) had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt…for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.” -Matthew 2:13-15a NIV

Just as an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream when Mary was pregnant (Matthew 1:20-21), an angel revealed the threat of death coming for the Son of God during a dream. Matthew, the gospel writer, focused on helping his Jewish audience to understand that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah and somewhat like a new Moses. As a baby, Moses’ life was threatened by the Pharaoh of Egypt. His mother placed him in a basket on the Nile River in hopes that an Egyptian would find her Hebrew baby, save him, and raise him as her own child. By the grace of God, baby Moses was found and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter.

Parents and grandparents, what does the Lord want you to do to protect the hearts, minds, bodies, and souls of the children he has entrusted to your care? If you don’t know, pray for God to reveal his will to you.

If you are not a parent or grandparent, what can you do to help protect and care for children in need? Ask the Lord to reveal how you can help.

The Your Faith Journey Bible verses for this week are listed below:

 

Today I am going to offer God ______________________________________________________.

 

During the worship service God revealed ______________________________________________________________________.

 

I am going to respond by ______________________________________________________________________________________.

 

Read Matthew 2:7-15 and pray for refugees, children in need, and persons, organizations, or nations you consider to be your enemy.

 

Read Hosea 11:1 and pray for the Jewish people throughout the world, as well as thanking God for his Son, Jesus.

 

Read Matthew 2:16-18 and pray for comfort for those who lost loved ones during the past year. If you lost a family member or friend during the past year, ask the Lord to comfort and care for you as your mourning process continues. Consider sending a card, letter, or gift to a person you know who lost someone dear to them in 2020.

 

Thursday (1/14)

Read Matthew 2:19-23 and pray for people traveling…including children traveling on school buses, commuters driving to work, delivery drivers, persons on planes, trains, and water vessels.

 

Read Luke 2:41-52 and pray for God to reveal a word, phrase, or verse that is specifically for you for today.

 

Rest, enjoy recreation, and re-read verses or phrases that stood out to you from this past week. If you didn’t do it already, ask the Lord to reveal what he wants you to do to protect the hearts, minds, bodies, and souls of the children he has entrusted to your care?

 

If you are not a parent or grandparent, ask God what you can do to help protect and care for children in need.

 

*If you don’t have a Bible, consider downloading the YouVersion Bible App for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play for your smartphone or tablet. You can also use www.BibleGateway.com to look up and read various translations of Bible verses online.