no accidents

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Key Passage: Matthew 2:13-18 This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son." (Matthew 2:15, ESV) There were no accidents in Jesus' life. This early threat to His life, the one that sent Joseph, Mary and the baby fleeing to Egypt--didn't catch God by surprise.In fact, it was all part of His plan. Over and over in Matthew's Gospel,you'll find that something happened "to fulfill what the Lord had spoken." There are two right here in these five verses. You see, Jesus came to fulfill God's plan,so that the prophecies and promises God made from the beginning would come true. All the significant details of Jesus' life were mapped out. God knew ahead of time that the terrible King Herod would seek to destroy Jesus as a baby. God knew Joseph and his family would be refugees in Egypt for a while. He even knew that those little children in Bethlehem would die while His own Son would escape (Matthew 2:17-18). God knew all this, and He left clues in the promises and prophecies He revealed through he Old Testament. But get this: Jesus knew it too. You see, Jesus is the Son of God, fully God, always in existence. He didn't "turn up" or "come into being" when He was born as a baby in Bethlehem. Jesus was present and involved in the creation of the world (Colossians 1:16) and down through the ages of time. Even before His birth as a human, Jesus as God the Son knew every detail of God's plan for His earthly life. And what's more, He submitted to it willingly. To experience the limitations of infancy,he danger of being a refugee, the trials of growing up in Nazareth, learning obedience to His earthly father, then traveling,teaching, healing, every detail of real life as we know it. All leading up to the terrible suffering, humiliation and burden of dying on a cross for the sins of the whole world. There are no accidents, no random acts that catch God by surprise.And in the life of His Son, Jesus, we see that God uses even the difficult and terrible things to accomplish His divine mission. He will do the same for you.