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What Jesus Did! 'The Lord's Continuing Presence' — Matthew 2:19-20 Wednesday, January 15, 2025 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. "Get up!" the angel said. "Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead." — Matthew 2:19-20 NLT Key Thought Isn't it interesting how the same place can mean different things for us? Egypt was that way for Israel. Egypt was a place of bondage, but it was also a place where they found food to preserve them during a famine. Egypt was a place of oppression and yet at the same time, it was a place of God's great deliverance. Egypt wasn't home, but it was a place where God still was active in guiding and protecting his people and fulfilling his promises to them. As Matthew relates how Jesus was protected in Egypt even though it was not his home, all these connections with Israel's past fill our hearts and remind us of this great truth: If we are seeking to live for our Father, he knows us, he knows our situation, and he is working for our ultimate deliverance no matter where we are! Today's Prayer Ever-present Father, I am comforted to see how you protected your Son when he was vulnerable. I am thankful to know that there is never a place or time that your presence is not with me. Please make yourself known in my life each day as I seek to live for you right where I am, until that day you bring me home. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Related Scripture Readings Romans 8:18, 28, 38-39 Psalm 139:7-10 Hebrews 13:5-6