The wise men, and Joseph, were open to God's directions. When the wise men were instructed during the night by God Himself, not to return to King Herod, but to leave quickly by another route, they promptly got up, saddled their camels and were off. In the same night God told Joseph in a dream to take the young child and His mother to Egypt - because Herod was going t otry to kill him.

Joesph also obeyed immediately. The Bible doesn't say what transportation they used. It is assumed they somehow had a donkey. In my imagination I wonder if the wisemen saw them packing up and said, "Hey, you can have one of our camels." At least that would have speeded up their travel to Egypt.

The Bible only says that they obeyed - right away. That's the part that applies to us.

This passage points out that this would fulfill the prophecy (in Hosea 11:1), "Out of Egypt have I called my son."

Obviously, the Lord God was coordinating things from Heaven, even though baby Jesus was helpless to do anything, and Joseph and Mary didn't know all that was going on either, and may not have thought of that particular prophecy being fulfilled until much later.

Joseph's important part was to be open to hear God's directions, and ready to obey immediately. He didn't even wait until morning light. Which was a good thing, because even the neighbours could honestly say, "We have no idea where they went. Last night they were here, and this morning they are gone! They never breathed a word about going away."

Am I like this Joseph? Do I hear God's guidance and obey it promptly? I wish I could say a resounding yes. But listening to my own spirit I hear an embarrassed silence or unsureness.

What can we do about this?

The first step is to spend some time every day in reading the Bible. This gets us more familiar with God's character and the way He has dealt with people in the past. The more we read of His promises the more we learn to trust Him. In our prayers we can reiterate that we are open to God's directions. Not so much that God needs to be informed, but this informs and keeps our own mind and spirit ready for obedience.

Then, when God does say to us, "Go do this for so and so," or "Pack up and go this direction," we will not hesitate. We will just go to it.

Do you already meet with the Lord in a devotional time every morning? Is it a dull routine exercise, or do you really learn more about the Lord, and His ways? Do you sincerely make yourself available to do His will? Do you confess your sins quickly when you become aware of doing wrong, or not doing what you should?

If the latter scenario is true for you, God will speak to You - without a doubt. When He speaks again depends on how quickly you obey His guidance the first time.

Ruth Marlene Friesen The Responsible One