The nation’s capital was clearly the right place for us. By moving to this larger and more progressive area, my wife and I have become involved in national politics, along with writing books and international travel. God’s timing and placement has been perfect for us.

The Right Thing

It is possible to be in the right place at the right time, yet be puzzled about what to do. How do you raise the Deliverer of the world? Is there a special trick to changing the Messiah’s swaddling clothes? I certainly hope not. On other hand, it would be difficult to know what to tell Jesus about His life’s calling as He was growing up.

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Part of doing the right thing is to understand how to handle emergency situations. After the wise men from the East came to worship Jesus, they purposely did not report back to Herod. It is possible they told Joseph of their concern about his nation’s leader. Such knowledge would have thrown the new dad into a frenzy. For Joseph, operational wisdom came by receiving clear guidance of how to sidestep Herod’s plan to kill his child. Once again, an Old Testament prophecy (Hosea 11:1) became the foundational redirection or inconvenience that influenced the carpenter’s family.

Matt. 2:12-16 tells us the process: “And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.’ When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt have I called my son.’ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceeding angry, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem.”

Joseph was in the right place at the right time and he managed to also do the right thing in a crisis. This must have seemed like an illogical directive from God. Jesus, the Savior of the Jewish people, was sent back to Egypt. Let’s remember that Egypt represented slavery and oppression to the Israelites. If Joseph had not listened to God promptly and obeyed explicitly, the baby would not have survived.

If we were able to look ahead to see dangers up the road, and figure out the perfect next move on the multiple dimensional chessboard of human response, then we might be able to lean to our own understanding. But we don’t have that ability. Sometimes what looks like a detour or a delay is nothing but the Lord arranging the perfect answer to a sticky situation.

As you look at the many problems surrounding you, your family or your church, don’t be overwhelmed. Sift through the rubbish and debris around you until you spot it! Spot what? Spot the miracle! It‘s hidden there somewhere. The miracle is in your mess.

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Harry R. Jackson is Senior Pastor of Hope Christian Church in Bowie, MD.