I would like to thank my father-in-law for sharing this week’s thoughts.
For those of you who a married, can you remember back to the days of your engagement? You had met the love of your life. And even better, he or she had fallen in love with you too. Then after a while came that time when you set the date. After the down on the knee bit, you plucked up the courage to go and tell the parents and started making all the arrangements.
That’s what many people experience, but if we consider Joseph and Mary and the events surrounding their marriage, we will notice how God changed their plans. Engagements were handled differently in those days. Marriages were pre-arranged by the parents, often when the children were small. Then there had to come a point when the couple became aware of the engagement and began making their plans.
I can imagine young Joseph. The wedding day was approaching and he was making preparations. I can see Mary. The day every young lady lives for was just about here. She was so excited as she and her parents made the wedding plans. She and Joseph had such dreams for their lives together. But then God stepped in and changed their plans.
It would have never entered their minds that Mary would become pregnant before their wedding night. And certainly the idea of doing so miraculously and giving birth to the Lord Jesus Christ was not something they’d planned for, so Mary’s reaction to the news was one of total surprise.
Joseph’s reaction was a little different. He had a decision to make. Should he believe that Mary had been faithful to him and that she had miraculously become pregnant with the son of God, or should he decide to break off the engagement? Of course you know the rest of the story. They did get married. Mary did give birth to the Messiah and the rest is history.
But let’s ponder a few things. Firstly, God didn’t ask Joseph and Mary; he told them. He didn’t say: “Mary, are you and Joseph OK with this? Does this fit in with your plans?”
How many of us are doing what we planned when we were in school? Not many, or the world would be full of train drivers and nurses. I have found that the majority of the ambitions I had as a young person were radically different from what came to pass. I wanted to be a pop star, but I couldn’t sing. So I became a drummer, which was the next best thing.
Some of my plans have changed because my decisions and desires altered, but other plans were changed because of circumstances beyond my control. And it wasn’t just when I was in school. God still does it now. When I was in Bible college my ambition was to be an evangelist. I didn’t want to become a pastor, but God had other plans. The Lord has never asked me when he wanted to upend my desires for my life. And I believe it’s the same for most of us.
The good news is that God has a plan for your life, and he made that plan before he created the world, but he has no intention of asking your permission to proceed with it.
Another thing to consider is that God’s plan for Mary and Joseph was not an easy one. Sometimes we think that if we are in the will of God everything will be a bed of roses and life will be without trial or difficulty. That was not the case for Joseph and Mary. Think about it. Why didn’t God work it out so the tax was collected either before they were married or after the baby was born? He could have done that, couldn’t he? I mean, having a woman who was so pregnant that she just barely got to Bethlehem before she had the baby! We don’t know whether she travel by foot or by donkey because the bible doesn’t say. God could have easily altered the timing, or at least provided a nice bit of transport for her to travel in. It would have been easy for Almighty, all-powerful God. Surely he could have worked things out better than that.
Next, the baby was born in a manger because there was no room in the Inn. Again I can imagine the young couple’s frustration after travelling that far. Mary was exhausted and ready to give birth any minute, and they couldn’t find a comfortable place to take her. Now remember, God is a sovereign God who is able to do anything he wills, but he had obviously willed that there was no room in the Inn. he wasn’t making it easy for them, even though Mary and joseph were obeying the will of God for their lives.
Likewise for us, we sometimes know we are in the will of God, but still things don’t seem to go according to plan. Why is that? Let’s pause for a moment and consider Jesus’ message
about the two gates and the 2 roads in Matthew chapter 7, verses 13-14. The broad and easy way that almost everyone takes is the way that leads to destruction. The straight, narrow, and more difficult way is the way that leads to eternal life. When we choose the way that looks the easiest we aren’t necessarily choosing the way that is the will of God. God does not promise us an easy trip but he does promise to be with us as we take it.
If you need some words of encouragement, read Isaiah 43 verse 2. “when you pass through the waters I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze.”
Looking back again to the Christmas story, another thing we can ponder is that although things were difficult, God did bless. Jesus was with Mary and Joseph as a child and although the bible has little to say about his up bringing, there are one or two isolated verses. For example, Luke 2 verse 52 talks about a time when Jesus was growing up. It says: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.” another verse says: “And the child grew and became strong. he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.”
It must have been a joy beyond belief to raise Jesus as he grew up. Any parent is blessed if their child grows up to do something good for mankind. I realize Joseph was gone by this time, but can you imagine the blessing Mary must have experienced when her firstborn son rose victorious over death and the grave. Can you imagine what she must have felt as she watched him ascend visibly into heaven. Imagine the excitement she must have experienced in her soul when she realized her son had opened the door to heaven for all who would accept him and receive him as saviour.
God knew exactly what this world needed. If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us a teacher. if it had been technology, he would have sent us a scientist. If our primary need had been money, God would have sent us an accountant. If it had been pleasure, he would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent a saviour.
God’s plan for our lives isn’t always an easy one, but it is a plan that will lead to us being a blessing to many
finally there were a few others who had their plans changed. The shepherds were probably just sitting there at the end of the day thinking: “The sheep are nice and quiet now. We can sit around the fire and have a quiet night ourselves.” Then all of a sudden out of nowhere
there were suddenly angels everywhere.
If you could have spoken to the shepherds at the time, I’m sure they would have said: “God has messed our plans up.” The sheep probably scattered everywhere
when the angels appeared shouting: “glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to all men.” I bet there wasn’t much peace in that shepherds’ camp that night. But in verse 25 they say: “Let’s go to Bethlehem and have a look.”
Did you ever wonder how they found Mary and Joseph? They had no star to guide them like the wise men, and I am sure that Bethlehem was full of mangers. How did they find the right one? Well I think they did what most men refuse to do – they asked for directions. All of Bethlehem must have rustled with news about that poor girl from Galilee there for the census who had been put in a stable so she could give birth to her child.
It’s a truly wonderful thing that this announcement from God should first come to the shepherds, who were despised by the orthodox good people of their day. Shepherds were unable to keep the details of the ceremonial law. They could not observe all the meticulous hand-washing and rules and regulations, so the orthodox looked down on them as common people. Shepherds were very much part of the lost sheep of their day. But this event that was taking place was designed to give hope to these men. Jesus himself said that he came to seek and save that which was lost – to set free those who were downtrodden.
Don’t ever think you are too far down the ladder for God to speak too and use you. This was one of the most important events that took place in history, and apart from Mary and Joseph, God first revealed it to shepherds. God stepped in and completely changed their plans. These men who just looked after sheep were the first to see the lamb of God who took away the sin of the world.
Notice what the shepherds did after the events of that night Luke 2: 17-18 says: “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” one day a shepherd; the next an evangelist!
Maybe this Christmas God is going to change your plans. He may reveal something to you, or maybe he’ll ask you to do something you’ve never done before. If there is to be peace on earth and good will to all men, then all men must hear this wonderful news. Yes, God definitely has plans for our lives. Sometimes they are different to the plans we have, because sometimes God messes up our plans, but you can be sure that if God does change our plans it will be to bless others. And if it’s God’s will, then we won’t be able to do anything about it.