12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.” Matthew 2:12-18

The Magi and Joseph were warned and given direction in two separate dreams. Had they not obeyed, it would have been disastrous.

I imagine Joseph walked away puzzled at the dream, especially when it was revealed that Herod wanted to kill the child. But since Joseph was already obedient to a significant portion of the Messiah’s birth, he too obeyed.

On this Christmas eve we find ourselves in a very similar situation. The “State” (i.e., the government) has sanctioned the killing of the unborn. Millions cheer it on and are vehemently opposed to putting a halt to the butcheries.

The State (Pharoah) wanted Moses killed. The State (Herod) wanted the Messiah killed. Now the State kills millions and mostly for the sake of convenience (I know, it’s more complicated than that, but it boils down to the convenience of the mother).

There is a great mourning in the streets and will be until this national atrocity is stopped. It the one great blemish that nation may never recover from

Today there are abortion clinics all across this land that are open for business. Would you pray for one of the expectant mothers as she wrestles with that all-important life and death decision.

Pray also for the politicians who sanction this wholeheartedly. Pray for absolute clarity in the midst of the noisiness of the debate.