Let God Work It All Out This Christmas
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It’s just part of the human condition. We choose a direction to go in life, make our plans, and when the inevitable trouble detours us, we struggle with all our fleshly strength to get back on plan. We stay up late at night, trying to “fix” things that have gone off track, or trying to manipulate our circumstances to our advantage, or at least to achieve a better outcome.
I am not advocating negligence or neglect of our responsibilities, but most often, we just need to pray, get out of God’s way and let God work it out!
Christmas is a perfect opportunity to learn a lesson or two from the way Joseph and Mary navigated a most unexpected detour in their lives. While the birth of the Messiah was ultimately a supreme blessing, they had to lean into God, and trust Him to work it out.
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 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. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus” (Matthew 1:18-25).
Joseph was shocked and confused, hurt, feeling betrayed, angry, perhaps even bitter – and most certainly upset by Mary’s news. Mary had revealed that she was pregnant, and yet they had not yet been intimate. Her explanation was that she miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit and was chosen to carry the Savior of the world, the long-awaited Messiah.
Can you imagine his initial reaction? Can you feel his pain and confusion? All of his plans for their future, their family and home, were demolished in an instant. He could not have foreseen it, much less planned for it. No one would have thought a girl like Mary – so young, so sweet, so devout – could betray him in such a foul manner.
It can’t be. It defies all reason. It goes against all logic. Yet, God’s most amazing plans are often discovered in the midst of the “I would have never thought” moments of life.
Have you ever been there before? Have you ever found yourself suddenly stuck in a situation that makes no sense, has no easy answers and seems to have no way out?
If that’s you, then you are set up perfectly for a miracle – just let God work it out!
God Is Not Surprised by Changing Circumstances
Before you knew of your unexpected circumstances, God knew, and He had already been working things out behind the scenes on your behalf. Just like He did for Mary.
Have you ever wondered why God chose Mary, out of all the women on earth to ever live, to become the mother of Jesus? She was born in the right place and to the right family, according to Scripture: Nazareth of Galilee, a location pre-shadowed by the prophet Isaiah:
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots…” (Isaiah 11:1).
Some scholars hold that Nazareth means “shoot or branch of David,” and of course, Jesse was David’s father. Nazareth was referred to as a shoot or branch of David because it is believed that an identifiable branch of royals from the royal line of David was known to live there (of which Mary and her family were said to be a part.)
“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth…” (Luke 1:26).
The Messiah had to be from the lineage of David, and since he would have no earthly father, it would stand to reason that Mary needed to be of the royal lineage of David, so the Messiah’s blood would also be royal. Before Mary ever knew she would be in this situation, God was at work in her life. He was at work in every detail in her life, including the family she was born to and where she lived.
She qualified for the right prophecy: the Messiah had to be born to a virgin. In every society, to be a virgin indicates innocence, purity, and a heart that is set apart and committed to seeking the righteousness of God. Mary was “prophetically qualified” because she was committed to sexual purity.
And she chose the right spouse. Not only was God already at work in preparing Mary for her ultimate destiny, but He was already at work in preparing Joseph.
Joseph was also of the house and lineage of David, and he too lived in the town of Nazareth. He is referred to as “the carpenter” in Scripture.
“Is this not the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55).
“Carpenter” comes from the Greek word tekton. Although it can refer to a woodworking carpenter, it is not the principal meaning of the word. And in Joseph’s case, it’s not what it meant at all.
Houses and buildings in Galilee were not made of wood, but of stone, because there was very little wood available for building. And the word tekton refers to a highly advanced craftsman or artisan who had the expertise to envision, and then create what he saw (in Joseph’s case), out of stone.
This implies that Joseph was not an obscure maker of furniture and wooden nick-nacks, but rather an artisan; those city builders who envisioned and erected masterful stone constructions, like palaces and temples.
Nazareth was also within walking distance of Sepphoris, the city Josephus called the “jewel of Galilee,” where it is commonly believed that Joseph worked and earned a good living. He was a responsible, faithful, highly-skilled craftsmen. He was the right man for Mary and God knew He could entrust the true riches of His son to his house.
He was also merciful and kind. Before the angel visited and talked with Joseph, look at the way he handled Mary’s disclosure:
“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly” (Matthew 1:19).
A scandal could have proven to be a great embarrassment and be very hurtful to Joseph’s reputation. He had the right to put her away publicly in shame, or even have her stoned to death for adultery. But Joseph decided he would spare her all of that, and he clearly cared more about her than his own reputation.
This is the kind of man God prepared for Mary, to get her through her unexpected mission. God worked out everything Mary would need, even before she knew she needed it, and He does the same for us!
Trust God to Speak to Whoever He Needs to Speak To
Joseph likely felt shocked, angry and betrayed, but nevertheless, he responded like a man of God, even when life and circumstances had given him every reason to lash out at Mary.
We cannot always control what happens to us, but we can control what comes out of us in response. Mary was trusting God to work it out on her behalf, and Joseph acted with kindness and mercy towards her.
So God sent the angel Gabriel to speak to Joseph and explain the new plan:
“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. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins’” (Matthew 1:20).
God calls Joseph by name, in a moment when Joseph could have felt forgotten by God. So God had to set the record straight.
Joseph, it’s not what it looks like! It’s not disappointment, but destiny. It might feel like betrayal, but it’s actually blessing. It’s not meant for pain, but for divine purpose. It may look like a trial now, but it will become your testimony. Joseph, it looks like you have been forgotten, but the truth is, you have been foreknown!
Joseph listened to what God said, and to Mary’s surprise, Joseph took her to be his wife regardless of the circumstances.
“Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus” (Matthew 1:24-25).
God worked it out for Mary, by speaking to who He needed to speak to.
Their experience shows that we don’t have to make sure we cover all our bases, we don’t have to try to make everyone understand, we don’t have to do the convincing – we just need to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
If He needs to get somebody on board, He will get them onboard; if he needs to get somebody off board, He will get them off board! We can trust God to work it on out.
Realize That He Will Move Whatever He Needs to Move
So Mary and Joseph were reunited and in agreement for their purpose. But God now had to arrange for the baby to be born in Bethlehem (according to Scriptural prophecy) which meant moving them from Nazareth to Bethlehem, 90 miles away, even though she was “great with child.”
God’s solution? Let’s put that whole part of the world in motion!
A kingdom-wide tax census forced people to journey back to their home towns in order to register. For Joseph, this meant a return to Bethlehem with Mary. God used the actions of human government to fulfill biblical prophecy. Which means, He literally put the whole Roman Empire on the move to bring His will to pass!
If you have committed your life to fulfilling His will, you can trust God to work it out, even to the point where He will move whatever He needs to move in order to get you wherever you need to be.
If He needs to,
-He will move people out of your way
-He will move laws and governments and taxes
-He will move crowds and walls and structures
-He will even move oceans (the Red Sea) and giants (Goliath)
And He will move you, too, if you need to move!
God is the Master Mover. So when you ask yourself…how did I wind up here? This is not what I had planned! Remember that God is not surprised by our changing circumstances, even if we are. He is always working behind the scenes on our behalf to prepare us for what He has for us. We need only to trust that God is working it out. And if we are indeed stuck, He will move people and order events, even as He is ordering our steps in fulfillment of His will.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Tijana Drndarski
