Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
It is the middle of December. My house is a mess. I am sad. I do not wish to do the normal Christmas tasks, but I am for my granddaughter’s sake, with intentional glee.
Both my brother and dog were taken from me in the past nine months. God said no to all my super big plans for this year. Then, He let me know His plans for me.
This year, I did not hear from my brother on my birthday. I was so busy it was two days later before I realized Tom had not called. This was not typical.
Being out of town when that thought came, I made a mental note to contact him upon my return. Alas, the frenzy of catching up on life’s routine consumed my brain. Three more days passed, and I had not reached out. That evening, a stranger reached out to me. All I could do was pray and seek the Lord.
Fifteen hours later, I had an answer to his silence. My brother passed away sometime during the three days before my birthday.
My plans for his 65th birthday, which would have been six months later, were canceled. Life as I knew it was permanently altered, and I was about to embark on a journey that would bring much sorrow and pain. I would make several unwanted trips to South Carolina to clean up an unimaginable mess, sell his house, and find out things about his life he had never shared.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. [12] Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. [13] And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Several times this year, the Lord has changed my plans and requested things of me that were out of my comfort zone and skill set. Yet, as I traveled His paths, His promises that I would find Him when I sought, and He would direct my steps when I trusted, were fulfilled. He gave me the wherewithal to accomplish His tasks. Now, at the end of this trying year, I can honestly say the joy of the Lord was my strength and He is my Sustainer. And He alone deserves the glory.
As I prepared for this Christmas, reading scripture, devotionals, listening to Christmas songs and being very still, the story of Joseph and Mary was more prevalent than usual.
Mary and Joseph had a life. They had plans. They were preparing to be married, dreaming of what their new life would be like, the children they would have, where they would live. Most likely, it was a happy time for them. God stepped in and turned everything upside down. They were now pregnant before the marriage ceremony with a baby that was not conceived through their union. They had to leave their home and travel to Bethlehem at the end of Mary’s pregnancy. Despite the hardships, all was for good. God protected and provided for them every step of the journey.
Mary and Joseph had the same free will we all have. Their decision to follow God’s plan changed their lives and all future lives forever.
Mary’s response to the angel, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38.
Her decision to put her faith in God gave us the most important gift we will ever receive. She did not question His choice in her or doubt that His will could be accomplished.
Joseph did not hesitate when the Angel of the Lord told him he could believe Mary’s story.
Matthew 1:20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”
That was all Joseph needed to hear, because he trusted God. Having no idea what would become of them, he took Mary and proceeded with God’s plan for them.
Proverbs 3:5-7: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; [6] In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. [7] Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
Joseph’s and Mary’s fully lived out the instructions to trust, not lean on their own knowledge, and let God direct their paths. Their acceptance of His call on their lives brought hardship, pain and grief. That didn’t mean they weren’t blessed and filled with the joy of the Lord. They did not stop to calculate what the loss would be or what the possible gain would be. They just did what was placed in front of them, humbly and quietly leaving all the glory to the Lord of hosts. Their story is an example for all of us to follow.
Ask yourself if you truly understand what it means to seek the Lord with all your heart, and then fully trust Him to direct your path. Are you willing to follow Him anywhere, even if it means accepting His no to your plans? Can you place all control in His hands? Can you do the things humbly and quietly, letting your Lord receive all the glory? What can you do now to be prepared when He changes your course?
It can happen in an instant, when you least expect it!
Happy New Year. May the Lord bless you abundantly.
Janice S.