Read it: Jeremiah 29:11, Acts 2:17, Luke 1:26-38, Matthew 1:18-25
Live it:
Today’s reading sets the stage of the birth of Jesus. We are introduced to Mary and Joseph, a couple planning to spend the rest of their lives together, but then a curve ball comes. Mary is told that she is pregnant. But not just pregnant, she is carrying the Son of God.
I wonder what Mary was thinking at that moment. What was she feeling? It’s a story we read over and over and maybe it’s lost it’s shock value. But I can’t help but put myself in Mary’s shoes. This was NOT how she thought her life was going to go. Her life, as planned, was over.
In Matthew 1:23, we see Mary and Joseph decide to trust God together. Although it was a hard path for them to walk down, they chose to obey God despite the consequences. Many times in my life I have desired a plan I have for my life. I have prayed desperate prayers for a situation to go my way. And when that thing or moment doesn’t happen, I feel myself wanting to go down the path of hurt and anger. Then I am reminded, just as we are in Jeremiah 29:11, that God has a plan for us that is good and full of hope.
Do it:
Think about the future plans that you have and write some of them down. How do you feel about the future events you wrote down?
Pastor Jessica