When God Changes Your Plans

This message invites us into one of the most profound mysteries of Christmas: how God redirects human plans to accomplish divine purposes. Through the story of Mary and Joseph in Luke 2, we discover that their carefully laid plans for a traditional wedding and quiet life in Nazareth were completely upended by God's calling. Mary would bear the stigma of an illegitimate pregnancy, Joseph would face shame and questions, and together they would travel to Bethlehem at the most inconvenient time—when Mary was about to give birth. Yet in this apparent chaos, God was orchestrating the fulfillment of a 700-year-old prophecy from Micah 5:2. The message challenges us to examine our own response when life doesn't go according to plan. Do we become bitter and turn away from God, or do we trust that our disappointments might be divine appointments? Mary's response is remarkable: 'Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.' Her willingness to trust and obey, even when it meant personal cost and social stigma, becomes a model for us. We're reminded that we are safer in God's purposes than in our own plans, and that Romans 8:28 isn't a trite platitude but a profound truth—all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. When we walk by faith and not by sight, even our trials can become powerful testimonies that point others to Christ.