URC Daily Devotion 13 October 2025

 
St Matthew 2: 13 – 15
 
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt,  and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’
 
Reflection
 
Joseph didn’t hesitate. Woken from his sleep by an angel’s warning, he rose, gathered Mary and the infant Jesus, and fled under cover of night. There was no time to prepare, no certainty about what lay ahead in Egypt – only the quiet conviction that God had spoken, and that was enough.
 
This short passage brims with tension. It reminds us that the birth of Jesus, full of heavenly joy and angelic song, also drew danger. Herod’s rage loomed like a shadow, and the path of obedience led not to comfort, but to exile. Yet in this chaos, God was already writing of redemption. Even Egypt – a place of ancient slavery – became part of God’s plan to protect and call His Son.
 
We may not hear from angels in dreams, but we are often called into unfamiliar places of trust. God sometimes reroutes us suddenly: through loss, change, or disruption. Like Joseph, we must choose to respond, not with perfect understanding, but with faith that God’s voice is always trustworthy – even when it leads us into the dark.
 
This story also reminds us that God’s promises are bigger than the threats we face. Herod was powerful, but not sovereign. The night was long, but not without purpose, and Egypt – once a place of captivity – became the ground of deliverance.
 
If you are walking a road that you didn’t plan, take heart, for God sees the whole map, even when the turns in the road feel like detours. His presence goes with you, even in the unfamiliar!
 
Prayer
 
Lord, when we cannot see the path ahead, 
help us to trust the One who calls us forward. 
Keep us faithful, and remind us that your promises still hold, 
even when the journey is hard. 
In Jesus’ name we pray, 
Amen.