Guided by a star

‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’  Matthew 2:2

The Magi were guided by a star. They found out the good news about the birth of Jesus when ‘his star’ rose in the sky.

Guidance is one of those issues that gets talked about a lot. When we choose to walk in God’s way, we seek His guidance for our lives. We say ‘Let your will be done’ and seek God’s will so that we can allow His will to work its way out in our lives. And yet most of the time, we can feel like we are fumbling around the dark. God’s guidance does not feel as clear to us as a bright star in the sky. We wish it did. It’s hard to follow God’s will for our lives when we’re not really sure what that is.

We face decisions and pray for God’s guidance and wait for a response. I know people who have been waiting for years for God to reveal His plan for their lives. Waiting and waiting as time passes by, as life passes them by. We look for a sign and don’t get one. We wait for our guiding star to show us the way, but clouds obscure the night sky.

I apologise now but I don’t have all the answers. Any of the answers even. I was hesitant to even approach this subject. All I can share with you is what I’ve learnt about guidance from this account and what I’ve learnt about guidance in my own experience.

The Magi were guided by a star because the stars were their thing. I’m unlikely to be guided by a star because I know nothing about the stars. I don’t study the stars. God revealed His message to the Magi through the night sky because the night sky was where they were looking.

Words are my thing. I have always read a lot. And God often speaks to me through words that I read. A sentence jumps out of the page and the words ring true. It’s like a light shining in the darkness. It’s like a guiding star. I read the Bible and I read other inspirational books and I read plenty of fiction too. God speaks to me through all of it. I expect God to inspire me when I read. And when I listen to podcasts or TED talks. Of course, God surprises me with glimpses of His way, His truth, His life in all sorts of other places too, but I do believe that God guides me in the words that shine out from the page and grab my attention and warm my heart.

The Magi had a clear objective in following the star. The journey wasn’t about the star, but about where the star was leading. They were following the star so that they could worship Jesus. Every journey that God leads us on takes us towards that destination. If where we are heading is not leading us and others to encounter Jesus in an authentic and wonderful way, then how can that be what God wants for us?

The Magi lost sight of the star. They had a clear indication of the good news of the birth of Jesus, but by the time they reached Jerusalem, they had to ask for help. They didn’t know exactly where they were going any more. Now they knew the destination, they would keep searching, but the path was not straightforward. Sometimes we set out thinking we know where we’re going and then the way becomes complicated. We may even lose our way for a while. We may take a few wrong turns and need to ask for help to get us back on the right path. Sometimes it comes down to trial and error: trying a few different ways before we find the right path again.

I am an ideas person. I have fresh ideas every single day. And how do I know which ones are from God or not? Most of the time, I don’t. I welcome all ideas in and sit with them for a while. Some just get up and leave. Some are more persistent. Some I try and they don’t work out, so we part company. Some work for a while and are life-giving and burn brightly in the sky for a season, but then the time comes for us to go our separate ways. Others I commit to long term and they become a part of who I am. If I’d waited for clear guidance on any of them, I would still be waiting. This Join Our Journey adventure would not be happening for a start. Often for me, it’s about stepping out into the uncertainty and seeing how the path winds its way forward. About taking one step at a time. And asking for help when I need it.

In hindsight, asking for help from King Herod was not the best move for the Magi. These are supposed to be wise men and they ask the current king where the new king is so that they can worship at his feet? Surely that’s asking for trouble!

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  Matthew 2:9-10

The star reappears. Presumably anyone who looked up into the sky that night would have been able to see that star shining brightly. However, only these men understood the significance of the star. God speaks to each of us in different ways. What is significant for one is completely insignificant for others.

I was inspired to consider fostering from the advert on the back of a bus. I must have seen similar adverts a thousand times before. And yet this one time, the possibility/opportunity jumped out at me in a way I had never considered before. I went home and found a phone number to ring in the Yellow Pages (after having discussed it with my husband, surely!?). It wasn’t even the local Social Services number that I called. But that is how we came to foster the little girl who is now our adopted daughter – and go on to adopt two other wonderful kids….that advert on the back of a bus has taken us on quite a journey!

And that brings me on to the final point. There is a joy, a deep joy that transcends words and understanding, that comes from walking in God’s way. The Magi knew it as they followed the star. They didn’t know what they were getting themselves into. This was completely unknown territory for these foreigners. And yet they were overjoyed to see the star. Following God’s way is not always easy. It often involves sacrifice and a certain amount of suffering. But when you’ve experienced that wonderful feeling deep down inside that lights you up from the inside with the conviction that you are doing what you were born to do, then there is no other path that you would rather walk, whatever the cost.

I can’t give you anything more concrete than that. I’m sorry. In the end, it’s your path and only you can work out how to walk it. All we can know for certain is where the path is heading, not the route it will take to get there.

Our paths are leading you and me towards Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life.

O come let us adore him. Christ the Lord.