Right Where You Are

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days (Micah 5:2, ESV).

God shows up in out of the way places. If we miss out on what God wants to do among us, it is because we expect that he can do great things anywhere but here! For ancient Israelites, Judah was foremost and Jerusalem was the place to be. Bethlehem was nowhere. Micah’s prophecy overturned that perspective: Jerusalem’s rulers had cannibalized God’s people (3:2-3) and little Bethlehem would become a nursery for a new ruler who would shepherd God’s flock in the strength of the Lord (v.4). The place was well named (Bethlehem means “house of bread” and Ephrathah, “fruitful place”) since it was home to Ruth, Boaz, and David, and would become the birth place of the Messiah.

Lately there have been times when I strongly desired to be two places at once, but this was not to be: omnipresence is a trait the Almighty reserves for Himself! Even if somehow I could have been with my wife and daughter in one place while remaining with my sick father in another, my divided self would have done little good in either place. God is able to keep his word—to work all things together for good—in any situation, even in my absence. Wherever I am He is there also, and is able to make my heart and mind a fruitful place.