You
know the story. An angel appeared to some shepherds at night and announced the
birth of Jesus saying, “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a
manger” (Luke 2:12). That’s it? No further instructions? How did they find Him?
Maybe it happened something like this…
In April 2001, my friend Eugene needed his car windshield
replaced. The repairman would be coming to town on a Sunday so Eugene left his
vehicle at his workplace at 7 am. It was a cold morning and a storm was coming,
but for some reason Eugene decided to walk home instead of having his wife pick
him up. After walking a few blocks it started to lightly rain and he heard a
baby crying in the distance.
As he kept walking, the cries grew louder and sounded
desperate. He looked at a nearby bowling alley, which was closed, and noticed a
baby stroller parked behind the building. Eugene sprinted to the stroller.
Inside was a little baby that had turned blue due to the cold. He ripped off
his shirt, quickly wrapped up the infant and called 911 on his cell phone. The
police came and took the baby to the hospital.
The baby was too far away from the street to hear from
inside a car. Only someone walking down the street could have heard the cries.
Just minutes after the police left, it started pouring rain with winds
reaching 40 mph. If Eugene hadn’t been walking down that street at that
precise time, the baby would have died in the storm. Later it was
discovered that a little boy who lived in a nearby apartment complex took the
baby for a stroll and left her there.
Did God lead Eugene
to find that baby?
Yes He did. But Eugene didn’t know God was leading him. The Lord put a thought in Eugene’s mind to walk home in
bad weather instead of calling for a ride. And that’s how God guided him to the
right place to find the baby.
God did something
similar with the shepherds. I believe as they hurried into town the Lord put a
thought in their minds to turn left at the tax collector’s office rather than
right. As they walked down the street they heard a baby crying and followed the sound to find Jesus.
THE LESSON: If someone wants to
find Jesus, God will make sure the person will find Him. And He can lead us by
putting thoughts in our minds, even if we are unaware of it. For more
about God’s guidance & divine appointments read The Sure Cure for Worry.
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