Read Luke 1:26-38 and Matthew 1:18-25

“God, what in the world are You planning?”

Have you asked yourself this question before?

There have been several times, even in the past couple of years, that I have asked this exact question. I remember how I felt when I found out Kelly had lost her job a couple of years ago when Mattie was 6 months old, when we found out we miscarried our second child, when my good friend was admitted into a rehab center, when my Grandma declined quickly and passed away, and when one of our cars got totaled and we were in no position to purchase another car.

I recall, in those moments, taking a deep breath and dialing a spiritual phone to talk with the Creator of the universe. You know all the Christian things to say like “God always has a plan”, “where God guides He provides” and so on. However, when you find yourself in such a position, it’s so much harder to trust in God’s plan for your life because you have no idea what He is up to.

I’d imagine Mary and Joseph were in a similar boat. Here was Mary, a young teenage girl finding out that she was pregnant via the Holy Spirit, and Joseph, trying to believe that what Mary was telling him was true. Their lives were completely turned upside down and they were going off the word of an angel from Heaven.

Try to imagine the moment the angel Gabriel left Mary. Mary is finally alone after being told that she is pregnant and the baby is the Messiah that had been promised for so long.

“Uhhhhhhhmmmmm, what now?”

(Jake’s translation of what probably didn’t happen)

If you read on in the gospels, you will find that both Mary and Joseph both trusted in God’s plan for them and, because of that, the world would never be the same.

How often do you find yourself in the position of asking God what His plan is? Do you really trust that God knows what’s best for your life and that He will always be right next to you guiding you through life’s many challenges?

Imagine the board game Candy Land. The board contains a long and windy road that gets you from the bottom to the castle at the top. The game is full of shortcuts and scary people like Lord Licorice, who always freaked me out as a kid.

You see, God has your life mapped out from start to finish. He knows what trials you are going to experience and what trials He is going to save you from and what you have the strength to endure.

Do you believe that?

As hard as it was for me to trust in God’s provision in those moments, I had to ask myself, “When has God ever failed me before?” and “When did He ever let me down?”

Never.

God loves you. He has a plan for your life and even though you can’t see Him, He is right next to you with His arm around you, guiding you through life’s many ups and downs.

He never fails.

Jake Lawson