Positioned for the Prophetic

When God has spoken and we have received, it is not unusual for the Lord to reposition us to give birth to or receive the word. After all, everything about us is changing, preparing us for this event. So why not location, as well? This is seen several times throughout the Nativity story.

Zacharias was in the temple when he received the promise, but he, of necessity, had to return home for the fulfillment of his promise to be realized. It could not be accomplished without Elizabeth. A way had to be made to get Joseph to Bethlehem when Mary was expecting Jesus for prophecy to be fulfilled. The wise men had to leave behind the trappings of their intellectual pursuits to celebrate the King's birth, and the shepherds had to leave their field.

Perhaps you've been working and need to return home. Or maybe circumstances in your life, such as Augustus's taxes, require a move. You may need to exchange your wisdom for that of God's wisdom or respond to His announcement of life in Christ. No matter what it is, the prophetic always requires movement, whether from one location to another or shifting of mindset. We need to align with God's word, not God's word to align with us.

And perhaps that's the issue in most of our lives and why we don't see the miraculous prophetic work of God occurring in our lives. We want God to accommodate us at every turn, making Him into our image, rather than us being transformed into His, as He first created us. We like the comfort we've found in the place where we are. Change is difficult, let alone a metamorphosis of character and nature. We would rather creep along in comfort than soar into the unknown with God.

Thank God Mary and Joseph decided to take a leap of faith! To imagine life outside of Christ is unfathomable. Life without Him is destitute of any meaning or purpose. So, the question of the day is what movement is God requiring of you? What does Christ want to do through you in this time and place? Do you know?