Working In The Waiting

A Reflection on the Gospel for December 29th, 2019:
​The Feast of the Holy Family

Matthew 2.13-15, 19-23

After the wise men 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 fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the Prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

When Herod died, an Angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the Prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”

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God had a plan. The crucifixion was no accident. If the death of Christ was enough, then Jesus could have died at the hand of Herod’s men, like the many other children who were slain because of his petty fear. The story of God’s pursuing, abundant, overwhelming love needed to be told. He needed to speak to the hearts of the broken, heal the sick, and challenge the mighty. To accomplish that, He needed to live to manhood. So, God sent Joseph and the angel to direct them to go to Egypt. To lay low. To wait and grow and prepare.


Our life on earth has moments like that. I know God’s will for me is that I reach the Heavenly Kingdom, but I also have evidence that He has work for me to accomplish in the days between now and then. On my 16th birthday I was struck by a car in a crosswalk. After a few hours in the hospital for observation, I walked away with a concussion and a broken tooth. The paramedics and police told my parents it was a miracle I survived. I had rolled and moved in the exact right way to save my life and not sustain major injuries.


I’m sure each of us has a moment like that when we were protected or even just held back to wait for the right time. If the entirety of God’s power can lay quietly tucked away in Egypt, then I can be patient with God’s plan. There are times I am fired up to race forward on a project or plan, but God gives me all sorts of signs that I need to wait for His timing. Whenever I push forward, my plans are frustrated and sometimes even backfire entirely. When I wait, often the results are bigger and better than I had planned.

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But the time that God calls me to wait isn’t just me sitting around eating snickerdoodles. No doubt, Jesus’ time in Egypt wasn’t wasted as He was growing and learning, so I have no excuse for twiddling my thumbs waiting. The extra time God gives us is to prepare us. We don’t have the privilege to waste the time given us. We are called to listen to God’s voice through prayer, discernment, and the Scriptures and also through whatever practical work we can do to prepare for our mission. You can’t run a race without time to prepare your body and mind. Why would our Heavenly mission be any different? I thank God for all the times he’s asked me to fall back and wait. I have been more ready, prepared and capable for the next stage when I remember the time He gives me has meaning and is set aside for Him.



Stephanie Potter

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