An Advent Devotional from Seacoast Church
December 14

Wrong Place, Right Time

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:1-2 (CSB)

Have you ever caught yourself in the wrong place during the right time? The wise men had the right intention to worship Jesus and the right timing, but they were looking in the wrong place by assuming he would be found in Jerusalem.

I know what it’s like to be in the wrong place at the right time. It was only our second Christmas as a married couple. I can still see the tears in Chelsie’s eyes and hear the tremble in her voice as she whispered, “We aren’t going to be able to make it home for Christmas.” 

We were stuck in a crowded airport in Southern California on Christmas Eve, as delay upon delay stacked up against us, making it less and less likely we’d make it to Tampa, Florida for Christmas Eve dinner with Chelsie’s family. We were in the wrong place during the right time. As Chelsie’s family carved the Christmas ham and sat down to dinner around a candlelit table, we opened our bags of Chick-fil-a.

In the chaotic airport, I remember grabbing Chelsie’s hand and trying to comfort her, but the truth is that when we are in the wrong place, it is hard to be comforted. After many hours, many delays, and a miracle on standby, we hopped on a red-eye to Tampa late that evening. 

The Lord taught me an important lesson that night. Despite the circumstances and surroundings not being what I thought they should be, the point was to find comfort and peace in what I knew to be true: we had one another, and we would eventually find our way, find where we belonged if we kept our eyes looking forward. 

Maybe you find yourself in the wrong place (emotionally, spiritually, mentally, physically) this Advent season. The beauty in Advent is that it is not the destination, but the preparation of what is to come. So, let’s prepare to be in the right place, the right space to receive what God has for us this Christmas season.

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