Matthew 2:13-18 | The In-Between

Christmas has passed.

The decorations are coming down.

Schedules are starting to normalize.

And for many of us, this space between Christmas and the New Year feels a little… quiet.

Scripture often rushes us from the manger straight to the mission, but Matthew pauses to show us something important. Before Jesus ever preached a sermon, performed a miracle, or walked to the cross, there was a season of ordinary obedience.

Joseph, Mary, and the Christ Child found themselves fleeing to Egypt—an unexpected place, at an unexpected time, because God told them to go. There were no angels singing this time. No shepherds celebrating. Just quiet obedience in the dark.

Matthew reminds us that God is still faithful even when the world is hostile and circumstances are hard (Matthew 2:13–18). Herod raged. Innocent lives were lost. And yet, God’s plan was never threatened. He was working even when it didn’t feel safe, easy, or clear.

Joseph waited in Egypt until God spoke again. And when He did, it wasn’t to a palace—it was to Nazareth. An obscure place. A humble town. But it was exactly where God wanted them.

That’s often how God works in our lives too.

Most of our spiritual growth doesn’t happen on the mountaintops—it happens in the in-between. In the waiting. In the obedience no one sees. In the faithfulness of daily life.

If you find yourself between seasons right now—between clarity and calling, between promise and fulfillment—be encouraged. God is not absent. He is shaping you.

The same God who was present at the manger is present in the waiting.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart… and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)

May we be found faithful—not only in the moments we celebrate, but in the seasons God is quietly at work.