Have you ever felt like you had to be living in "Plan B"? That somewhere along the way, something must have happened that took you out of God's perfect will and placed you on an alternate path? I don't think you are the first person who has ever wondered that.
Luke 2:3-7 finds Mary and Joseph on a three day journey to Bethlehem. Not by choice, but because Caesar declared it. When they arrived there was no place for them to stay, Mary was going into labor, so they found the best place possible: a stable full of animals. Here she is carrying the Messiah and Redeemer of Israel, surrounded my animals and in a strange place.
However, God in His great sovereignty was not scrambling around the Heavens trying to make something good out of Caesar's decree. He was not trying to figure out how to find them a room in a real inn or what to do to increase their comfort. He was working out the eternal salvation for everyone in the world. Mary and Joseph's circumstances were larger than a night in a stable or a decree by Caesar. God was working out His Plan A!
You may be wondering, "yeah God was doing that for Mary, He didn't forget about her, after all she was carrying Jesus. Of course he had a plan for her! What about little me?" The Bible Says:
- The Lord has searched you and knows you. He know when you sit down and when you rise up; He understands your thought from afar. He is intimately acquainted with all your ways. Even before there is a word on your tongue, He knows it all. He has enclosed you behind and before. He has formed your inwards parts and woven you together from your mother's womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made! All of your days were written in His book. All of your days were ordained before one of them came to be (Psalm 139)
- Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6-7)
- For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Eph 2:10)
- If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 4:11)
- So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31)
- Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness (1 Chron 16:29)
- Or follow the actions of Jesus, "Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Mathew 26:39)
Are you viewing God in light of your circumstances or are you looking at your circumstances in light of who God is. Mary in a stable, Daniel in a Lion's Den, Joseph in jail cell, Moses in a dessert, and so many other heroes of the faith could have felt forgotten, ignored, or cast off. They may have begun wondering if God was scrambling to make a "Plan B" in order to guarantee that He works "all things for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Ro 8:28). Yet don't forget verse 29, that God's purpose is to conform you to the likeness of His son! (Ro 8:29).
Your life may seem crazy right now. It may seem like nothing is working out. You may be full of fear, doubt and grief wondering where God is in all of this. However, I assure you God is still in control. If you are His child, He still has a purpose for you. You still count to Him. He hasn't forgotten you, just like He didn't forget a teenage girl and her fiance sleeping with animals in a cave amongst the crowds in Bethlehem. They were living in the center of His will, it may have been hard, but they were never alone. Keep plugging away for your Savior. Do what He has called you to today. Who knows when the angels may burst into your life proclaiming, "Glory to God in the Highest! And on earth, peace among men with whom He is pleased!"
