Matthew 2:10 – When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

Matthew 2:11 – And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 2:12 – And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Numbers 24:17 – I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

Hello readers, how did I ever lose sight of the star? Well the wise men lost sight of the star for a while, but they saw it again when they left Herod’s palace… and when they saw it, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. This verse means quite a bit to me actually, because I can relate it. It’s so easy to lose sight of the star, and in the process lose all direction, meaning, purpose, light, joy, happiness in your life. We have heaven’s light for our path people, but so often we live a miserable life in the darkness. It’s so easy to go cold on God, to forget God, to go our way each week in a life completely devoid of Jesus Christ, of walking and talking as a Christian, it’s so easy to do life completely devoid of any spiritual reality. If you’ve been saved, and you’ve got shipwrecked, derailed, lost on the way, you need to see the star again. It’ll bring you great joy reader.

I’ve done multiple blogs on this part of the Bible before, but time for another. Growing up, I’ve had a bedroom with a window where I could see the stars at night. There’s nothing as transcendent and heavenly as looking out at the stars on a clear night. I’m always reminded of Genesis 15:5,6 – And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. What a promise it was, the gospel is in this timeless, ageless, eternal promise to Abraham and to us. God created the stars to be lights in the heaven. The lights in the firmament were to be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. Light in the darkness, that’s what the stars give, God’s promises have always been in the stars. They positively sing the glory and grace and lovingkindness of the Lord. How can you look at the stars and not be moved in sight to glory in the Creator just as they do.

Well rewind a couple thousand years, and one night a star rose in the sky… not just any old star, but the Star of Jacob. A long awaited star carrying a long awaited promise, a message of the birth of the King of Jews, the King who would rule and reign for ever and ever. Out in the east, a place of great darkness, wise men saw the star… an old time prophecy which they knew finally was realized. It seems ironic that men in the east, aliens of Israel, they saw the star, yet the house of Jacob did not know their Saviour. Balaam had given such an amazing prophecy of the Star of Jacob, Balaam who had been hired to curse Israel could not but bless Israel. Why are people always trying to make God say what he doesn’t say? It’s the same today. Old Balak, king of Moab, wanted God to curse Israel, so did Balaam… but God blessed Israel. It seems wicked, evil, sinful, selfish man has never stopped trying to make God say what he wants God to say, and God to do what he wants to do. God said that Balaam’s way was perverse before him, it’s a perverse way when you think you can make God say what you want him to say and go along with your rubbish. God’s way is the right way, the perverse way is going your own way in opposition and violation to what God has said.

Well, I’ve been thinking of this verse “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” Through my life, I’ve often lost sight of the star. Be it work, or sport, or hobbies, or interests, I can so quickly lose sight of the Lord Jesus Christ. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with something, but as Paul said, all things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient. Things that are not necessarily wrong can prevent us from seeing the star. Friends, family, work, sport, interests… whatever they are, they can plunge our life into darkness, where we lose our sight, lose our way, and lose the guiding light. This is not just for days, we can go weeks, months, years… and be so cold on God, we’ve lost sight of the star. You’ve lost the joy of the Lord. You may have started well, there may have been a time where you were walking with God by faith, there may have been a time you were radiating the light and life of Christ… and now your life is a hollow, dark, vain mess. You put all sorts of things ahead of God, and God’s calling on your life, and you’re in darkness. You’ve lost the joy. And you’ve lost your strength.

Satan will fill up your life. See, they lost sight of the star when they stopped over at Herod’s palace. They went looking for Jesus Christ, and they found Herod, they were asking the mortal enemy of God the whereabouts of God’s Son. So often what started with Jesus Christ ends up with being in the house of the devil. Satan has got into your life, and he’s filled your life up. He’s filled it up with his lies, your life is in darkness now. Something horrible happened on the way there, they stopped following the star, and they started asking for directions from something, someone else. You know, you started with God’s word, and now you’re getting directions for your life from the media, from news, from falsely so called science, from fakes and phonies, from man… and pretty much anything other than God’s word. And there is no light in all that.

What’s stopped you seeing the star? The title of this blog is… how did I ever lose sight of the star? You may have started well, or you may be wanting to follow God, or maybe you’re unsaved and you don’t care… I don’t know… but there is no substitute for God’s star. For his word, for his life, for his light. What caused you to lose sight of God? What caused you to lose your way? What plunged your life into darkness? Where you could have had life, light, joy, purpose, fire for God… you’re living a life in Herod’s palace. Satan has got your life, your life has been chewed up by your own sin and rebellion, by you going your own way by your own reasoning. See, they stopped following the star, they’d come so far, and they end up in Herod’s palace rather than in Bethlehem.

Being in Herod’s palace, they’d lost sight of the star. You see people, where the day star should have arisen in their hearts as per 2 Peter, instead there is no star light in there life. There is darkness where there should be the light and life of Christ. Maybe you saw the star once, but you stopped following it. So often we see the star, we see the Lord Jesus Christ through the pages of Scripture and the illumination of the Holy Spirit of God, we see the glory, we see the light, we see the life… we are riding high in life… and next minute we’ve made a stop over in Herod’s place. And in Herod’s place, we can no longer see the star. It was only when they left Herod’s place that they saw the star… and it filled them with joy. I’ve been in Herod’s palace rather than on the road following the heavenly light. Things stopped me following the star, people, fear of man, peer pressure, friends, lusts, disobedience, self willedness, distractions, love of the world… and my life became so full of darkness… I was in Herod’s house, not following the star light.

We can get right off the deep end in life where we are just a castaway as a Christian. We may be saved, but our life has come to a grinding halt. We are so bogged down in our disobedience and rebellion, we’ve corrupted our lives so much going our own way… and we are a hollow shell of what could have and should have been. There’s God’s calling, wherein is fulfillment, joy, peace, purpose… then there’s my way, and the world’s way… and it looked good for a while, but it robbed all the good God had for me. I settled for less. Maybe they thought they were trading up going to mighty Herod’s house… but they were trading down. It was way better in the manger than in Herod’s palace.

You know, we can all get right off the deep end in sin, we can go very cold on God, as the week goes along, it’s just a week completely devoid of God, of truth, of life, of light. We know things are true, but we don’t live like it’s true. And out in that world, we lose sight of the star. Why do we only value things when we miss them? When we don’t have them? Why do we have to lose before we want it back? So often we forfeit all the good God has for us, we waste our life Solomon style, and look back thinking, if only I’d not stopped over in Herod’s palace, if only I’d kept following God’s word. We think we are losing following God, but really it’s winning. The fear of losing out, yet when we go our own way, we are truly losing out. We thought we knew better than God, we thought we had this in hand… but our life has lost all light, all life, all joy, all purpose. Is missing God’s calling to pursue what I want to do and not miss out on my slice of the world worth it?

It’s not worth it. Losing sight of Jesus Christ. Of his grace, truth, mercy, love, forgiveness, longsuffering. He is the way. Why did I ever go my own way? How did it come to this? How did it become this? How did I ever lose sight of the star? It’s so easy to lose our way, to lose our light, to lose our direction. It’s so easy to go from simple faith in God’s word to me going my own way. Sure, I’m somewhere in the right direction, they were a lot closer to Bethlehem than they had started out, but they were still so far away. Why do we always stop short of where God wants us to go in life?

Nothing and nobody is worth missing out on God’s calling in life. Would you trade in his peace and joy for anything? We lose sight so quickly of what really matters, who really matters, the life and journey that really matters. And you see, these men were on a journey. Your life is a journey. Ain’t it a journey? But where is your journey headed? Is it headed to the Lord Jesus Christ? See, their destination was meeting face to face with the Lord… and likewise for those who are saved, we live with the expectation and hope of the promise of his glorious appearing, we are looking for that, and although now we see through a glass darkly, we will then see face to face. See, he appeared once, way back then, but he’s going to appear a second time to those who are looking for him! Hebrews says that. What a glorious promise and hope. So often we live looking back like this is all past stuff, but no, he’s coming again, he’s coming for his saints, and for those who believed it’s eager anticipation, but for his enemies, it will be a fearful and terrible day. God has glorified his name, and he will glorify it again.

So today ask yourself, how did I lose sight of the star? Have you lost that light? That direction? Have you thrown away his calling and promises and joy and peace to your life in favour of what Herod has for you? You’ve entertained Herod long enough, leave the palace of lies, get out! See, when you get out of what is stopping you from seeing the star, you’ll see the star again, and imagine the joy… you’ll know the joy these wise men had. Their long journey, derailed, sidetracked, lost sight… but they saw the star again! Get out of where you shouldn’t be, who you shouldn’t be with, get out of wherever you are in life that is preventing you from seeing and following the star. Get back to God’s guidance, stop looking to anyone and anything else. Don’t let anything and anyone stop you from seeing and following the star. It’s a sure star isn’t it? It guided them home.

There’s a great and indescribable joy from getting right with God, from getting back on the right way, on the right path, of coming to the light. If your life is  all night, well know that there is a star shining very brightly and it’s beckoning you to come to the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. God has given you so much light, his word lights the way, we are without excuse. Get out of the devil’s lies, leave that life of rebellion and going your own way by your reasoning, stop with the stopovers in Satan’s place and leave who and what is stopping you from following the star of God’s word, of the Lord Jesus Christ. You’re on a long journey, you need the star, it’s twinkling in the night star, believe on Jesus Christ, he will save you and you will experience the great joy that only being right with Christ can give you and that that these wise men had. Remember, they were wise because they followed his star. And if you’ve lost sight of the star, how did that ever happen? Leave Herod’s place and don’t go back, that same star is shining in the night of our lives, God’s glorious light bids you and I come. There’s great joy when you see and follow that faithful and true shining star again.

Revelation 22:16 – I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

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