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Luke 2:1-3
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.

After Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, his adopted son, Octavian, shared the throne with Mark Antony. When Antony married Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen, they set out to defeat Octavian for sole power in the empire. They were defeated by Octavian’s armies and fled to Egypt, where they committed suicide. That left Octavian as the exclusive ruler or Caesar of the Roman Empire. Shortly afterward, in 27 BC, he was named “The chief citizen of the Roman Republic” and given the name Augustus. Caesar Augustus ruled the world. Desiring to tax the people, he declared that a census should be taken. 

Can you imagine the commotion as families throughout the Roman Empire journeyed back to their hometowns? But…Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” Never forget that God is in charge. What seemed like a ruler’s whim was part of the divine plan. Seven hundred years earlier, the prophet Micah told the people that the Ruler would be born in Bethlehem. 

Life under the sun can be a bit confusing at times. We don’t understand why certain things happen and why the decisions of others have such an impact on our lives. In this fallen world, we are either directly or indirectly impacted by the sin of others. But in this under-the-sun life, Jesus brings the joy of an above-the-sun perspective. He is at work! That is the basis for real joy! 

Heavenly Father, thank you that you are in control of time and eternity. We bow before you and your sovereign will even when it causes commotion in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.