His way is perfect

Luke 1:38 - "And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her."

In the first couple chapters of Matthew and Luke we're told of some of the events and details surrounding the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In reading through these accounts over the past couple of weeks I've tried to put myself in the shoes of some of the key players in these scenes. We would do well to remember that these are real people just like you and me. Just because someone has their name and their story in the Bible doesn't mean that they were somehow above the emotions and feelings and confusion and unrest that often mark our lives. Granted, they are removed from us by some 2000 years and some 6000 miles, but essentially people don't change all that much. Consider some of the ups and downs of your life over the past five years. Think about how you reacted to the changing circumstances for good or ill. Think about the joy that completely consumed you during times when it just seemed that everything was going for you. At that moment there was nothing in the world that could get you down. But there were also times when sorrow or confusion marked your course. Think of the tears that you shed in prayer to God during those times when your life seemed to be falling apart and you couldn't make heads or tails of it. The people that we read of in the Word of God had these same experiences. They knew what it was to feel afraid. They knew what it was to feel lost and confused. They experienced joy and sorrow. They experienced the joy of laughing with friends and family, and they also knew what it was like to come before God with a broken heart and a mind full of questions.

In Luke chapter 1 the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, a young teenage girl who is engaged to be married. The angel gives her the news that she is going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Naturally the question comes to her mind that would come to any virgins mind, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" Answer: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God." This young, unmarried, Jewish virgin is the one through whom God was going to bring the Messiah who was prophesied about throughout the Old Testament. It was Mary that was referred to in Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Think of all that this news would mean to Mary. She was going to be a mother. She was going to have the immense privilege of raising the Son of God. But she must have had mixed emotions. "I'm going to have a baby before I'm married, what is my family going to think? What are my friends going to think? What will Joseph think? No one's going to believe this, and there's no way I can prove it to them. They might reject me even though I haven't done anything wrong." Certainly this wasn't how she had envisioned her life. She had plans for her life like any other teenage girl. She was going to marry Joseph. They were going to raise a family together. But suddenly a wrench is thrown into her plans. "He may not even marry me now." Whatever plans she had formulated, with this one announcement all those plans went out the window. But how did Mary respond to this news? "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." What a response! Would you have responded that way? I'm not so sure I would have. This is some heavy stuff, but it's evident in the little that we know of Mary, that she had a close relationship with the Lord, she knew His Word and she committed herself into His hands without reserve. She was clear in her own thinking that, whatever the cost, she was all in. And I'm not trying to cast this news in a negative light. Honestly, I don't know how a young Jewish girl would respond to the news that she was going to bear the Messiah. There may have been a longing on the part of any young Jewish girl to play this role, but I'm sure that playing this part in Gods plan was not without difficulty. Especially considering the nature of her part, people could have easily condemned her falsely, after all, people don't just happen to get pregnant. And considering the wretched nature of gossip, I'm sure that her pregnancy caused many to look at her in suspicion and harsh criticism. I can imagine Mary praying that God would give her family understanding. That He would reveal to them that she hadn't done anything wrong, but she was in fact carrying God in her womb. That she had become pregnant by the Holy Spirit. "God, please make them understand. Help me to be accepted by my friends and family. I don't understand why this is happening to me. I know you've chosen me to carry the Messiah and I thank you for that immense privilege, but please help others to understand this. Give me wisdom, God, to know how to handle this rejection. Help me to bear it in a way that is pleasing to You." At any rate, Mary was ready to serve God in whatever capacity He saw fit. That's the attitude of a true servant. "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word."

Now she has to break the news to Joseph. This conversation had to take place somehow. She has to build up the courage to tell her fiance that she is pregnant. This could fill her with all sorts of anxiety. Her heart is beating faster as she looks for the right moment, he knows something is amiss because her hands and her voice are shaking and her mind seems to be somewhere else. "What's wrong Mary?" "Joseph, I'm going to have a baby." Now, Joseph doesn't know much, but there's one thing he knows beyond the shadow of a doubt, that baby isn't his. His normal day just blew up in his face. His heart drops into his stomach. Joseph doesn't know how to respond. He's lost in a sea of emotions. He feels betrayed, heartbroken, enraged, bewildered and confused, all at the same time. He can't articulate his feelings. All will power is gone. He doesn't want to eat, he doesn't want to talk, he just wants to go to bed. And Mary is heartbroken as well. She loves Joseph, and she knows what tremendous pain this must have caused him. But still, she didn't do anything wrong. Was he going to reject her on a false premise? And even if Joseph did want to talk about it, he would never believe her story that an angel appeared to her and God Himself had caused her to conceive.
As Joseph lies on his bed his mind is racing trying to figure out what is going on and how he can fix it. "How could she betray me like this? I was going to marry her and we were going to raise a family together, but there is no way I can do that now. Obviously Mary isn't the girl that I thought she was. So what am I supposed to do? According to the law of God I could have her put to death... No. I could never do that. I love Mary, even if she doesn't love me. I don't want to bring her shame or disgrace. I don't want to draw attention to her. But it's obvious that I can't marry her now, not after this. There's only one thing to do. I'm going to have to break off the engagement and send her away quietly..." And with these thoughts circulating through his mind, Joseph drifts off to sleep. Suddenly he's startled. He doesn't know if he's awake or still sleeping, but standing there in front of him is an angel of the Lord. The angel says to him, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." And as quickly as the angel appeared, it was gone. "Can this be so? Mary is carrying in her womb the Messiah, the Son of God? Oh, thank You God for not letting me do anything rash. She must be the one of whom the prophet wrote: "Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call His name 'God with us.'"" The Lord revealed to Joseph what Mary never would have been able to convince him of. And Joseph arose from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. Certainly this isn't the start that Joseph had planned, but as Proverbs 16:9 says - "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." The sense of betrayal and hurt turn into a sense of wonder and amazement. And as Joseph considers this he realizes that there is something much bigger going on here than just a baby being born.

When the angel came to Mary to announce her conception he also told her that her elderly relative Elizabeth, who had been barren all her life, was in her sixth month of pregnancy. So Mary goes into the hill country to visit her cousin. Now, the circumstances surround Elizabeths pregnancy, though not impossible according to human standards, are certainly unusual. The baby that she had conceived was to be the forerunner of the Messiah. And as this young teenage girl greets her elderly cousin, the baby begins to leap for joy within her mother's womb. Elizabeth somehow knows that Mary is pregnant and that the baby she's carrying is the Lord Himself. "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?" Can you feel Mary's spirit begin to lift? The Lord brings this encouragement at just the right time. As the awesome scene of the angel begins to wear off and the fear of loneliness and rejection begin to set in, the Lord boosts up Mary's spirit. We have a small sense of what this is like. I'm sure we've all had times in our lives when we knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what the Lord wanted us to do, but as we began to set off in that direction we just hit one obstacle after another, and then the discouragement begins to set in and we begin to think, "maybe I didn't hear Him right. Maybe this isn't what God wants me to do after all." And just when those thoughts start to emerge God sends someone into our lives to speak a word of affirmation, or something happens that verifies what the Lord had initially laid on our hearts. And so, encouraged by her cousin, Mary begins to rehearse in her mind the Scriptures that she had been taught from childhood, and her heart overflows in praise to God. "My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever."

After staying with Elizabeth for three months Mary returns home. For the next several months life goes on as normal as you could expect. Over time it becomes obvious that Mary is pregnant, and gossip begins to fill the small town. Mary and Joseph are slowly becoming distant from their friends and family, but the thing that is causing the separation is also serving to draw them closer to one another. They are becoming more dependent on one another because they need each other. There may not be a single other person in their immediate surroundings who believes the supernatural account that Mary and Joseph are giving, but they both now know beyond the shadow of a doubt that this pregnancy is an act of God. And even if there's not another person who they can entrust themselves to, they have each other.

Over the course of time word reaches the small town of Nazareth that the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, the ruler of the known world, has issued a decree that all the world should be taxed. And the way this tax worked was that everyone had to travel to his own hometown in order to be registered, and then the tax would proceed from there. And this was not something that could be opted out of. This decree affected everyone in the entire world. So here they are, Mary is close to full term, and out comes this governmental decree, 'By order of Caesar Augustus, everyone is to travel to their city of origin in order to register for the census.' Are you kidding me? Could this have come at a worse time? We may not see this as such a big deal, but think about the governmental decrees that we get all worked up about. We talk about those lousy politicians and the stupid selfish decisions they're making. But have we ever been put under a mandatory decree that forced us to leave our homes, take time off work, travel at our own expense and register with the government, all for the singular purpose of giving them our money? Can you imagine the outrage that would flood our nation if something like this was even hinted at? And yet what were Mary and Joseph going to do? Protest? That wouldn't do any good. Those under Roman rule could gripe and complain as much as they wanted, but if Caesar decreed something it stood. There was no changing it. It didn't matter if you were pregnant or anything else. And if the decrees of our government affect us as they do, the decrees of their government were life altering. We can tend to just gloss over these first few verses of Luke chapter 2 without really considering the impact of this decree, but this truly was life altering. And what could they do but comply? As Joseph makes preparations for the journey he really wishes that there was some way out of it. He knows that Marys time to be delivered is near and he wants to make sure that everything is ready and that his wife is comfortable when the time comes. "O Lord, I know that you are the Sovereign God. You hold the nations in Your hands. The heart of the king is like channels of water in Your hands and You turn it wherever You wish. God, if there is a way out of this census, I pray that You would make it plain. Change the kings heart I pray. God, my heart aches for Mary. You know how difficult it would be for her to make this journey at this stage of pregnancy. I want to take care of her and the baby that You've given her, but I can't see a way around this trip. God give me wisdom to know what to do! And again, if there is a way to avoid this census, please, make it clear. I need Your guidance and Your wisdom. Help me I pray." But a way out never came, so after some preparation Joseph and Mary set out on an unexpected 80 mile trip. An unexpected 8 hour car ride can frustrate us. But think about this young teenage couple and the difficulties that this trip would include. To make matters worse, Mary is going to give birth any day. Just as their lives were becoming somewhat normal again and they were beginning to rework their plains for the coming years, another unpredictable event comes in, forcing them into a situation which will pull them out of familiar surroundings and force them on a journey which they probably would've never chosen for themselves.

What do we tend to do when adverse circumstances come into our lives? I hope we pray. We're supposed to "pray without ceasing", but even when we fall short of this, we tend to turn to the Lord in prayer when things are not going according to our plans. Often when things are going smoothly we neglect prayer. It's when tragedy strikes, when trials come, at crises moments, when things are going from bad to worse that we tend most often to turn to God in prayer. Well, think of how many prayers must have been offered in the days surrounding the birth of Christ.

As the young couple enters Bethlehem Mary is beginning to experience labor pains. But the small city is completely packed. The result of the decree has had a horrifying effect on the little town of Bethlehem. How are they to find a room in all this mess? Mary has one thing on her mind, "This baby is coming!" And Joseph has an incredible weight of responsibility falling on his shoulders. He wants to provide for his family. He needs to provide for his family, but he just can't. There simply isn't room anywhere. He would have easily given up anything, including his own comfort and security, in order to get a place for his young bride. But as they go from door to door facing rejection after rejection the anxiety and sense of failure continue to build. "What kind of husband am I? I can't even provide a descent place for my wife to give birth! Lord, please help there to be a room available at the next inn... God please provide a place for this baby to be born. Press it on somebodies heart to invite her into their home so that she doesn't have to give birth on the street. God, I want to provide for my family but I don't know how. I am incapable, there is nothing I can do. I'm helpless to help her! I need you to open a place for us!" And inn after inn they get the same message, and step after step their prayers become more fervent. "God the time is near. Please give us a place!" Can you imagine how many prayers went unanswered surrounding that first Christmas? Did God hear their prayers? Certainly. Could God have provided a room for them? Yes. So why didn't He? God alone knows the answer to that question. Gods ways don't always make sense to us, but one thing is certain, "As for God, His way is perfect."

The only place found for Mary to give birth was a manger, a feeding trough for animals. "And Mary brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." In that moment the world around her seemed to fade away. Mary sits gazing into the eyes of her baby boy and her Savior. Oh the wonder of it all, "God contracted to a span, incomprehensibly made man." This is it. This is Gods answer for all of history, lying in a feeding trough in a small Judean city, with no one to welcome him into the world except His teenage mother and her husband to be. How could it ever be so? He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Mary and Joseph are exhausted. They're completely drained, but even in the less than ideal circumstances they have peace. They can't explain it, but there is a joy in their hearts and a peace which passes understanding.
As the night wears on there is commotion in the street. Shepherds are running through the city asking about a baby in a manger. And as they locate Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in the manger they begin to relate to His parents the amazing events of the preceding hours. They told of the angel and his announcement, a Savior was born into the world, who is the Messiah, God Himself, lying in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes. And they told of the multitude of angels who were declaring in one voice, "Glory to God in the highest!" Mary and Joseph listened to all of this in amazement and wonder. And as the shepherds went away, their words did not, for Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.

We could go on to talk about the pronouncements that were made by Simeon and Anna in the temple as the Lord Jesus was dedicated when He was eight days old. We could look at the magi and the gifts that they brought to the Lord Jesus as they fell down and worshiped Him. We could talk about the family's  flight to Egypt in order to escape from Herod and his attempts to kill the Christ child, but I'll leave you to think these things out for yourself and put yourself in Joseph's and Mary's shoes as the events of life continue to lead them on mountain peaks and through valleys. Because the ups and downs of life are something that we can identify with. We know what it's like to be on the highest mountain peak at one moment and down in the lowest valley at the next.

The events surrounding this first Christmas are astounding. But the overruling characteristic of the lives of Mary and Joseph are summed up well in Marys response to the angel. All these ups and downs on the road of life, all these situations and circumstances that Joseph and Mary would not have picked for themselves if given the choice, all of this was in Gods plan for their lives. They couldn't understand it, but they knew that God had a plan for their lives and He was directing according to His will. And knowing this, they could entrust themselves completely into His care and say, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word."

So what about you? Are you willing to follow Him regardless of the cost? Even if it means that people will look down on you and judge you? "They had so much potential, why would they waste their talent like that?" When it comes to our obedience to the Lord there are always going to be some people, maybe even people who are close to you, who are not going to understand. But we have to determine that we're going to please God rather than men. We're sometimes tempted to make decisions based on what our culture sees as normal or what people expect, but if God wants you to do something that is counter-cultural, do it!

Are you willing to follow Him even if it means that you'll have to trash all the plans that you've been making for your life? This is what Joseph and Mary had to do, right? Doubtless, Joseph had plans for his future. And those plans certainly did not include his fiance becoming pregnant and having a baby before they were married. His plans didn't include traveling eighty miles to pay taxes when his fiance was nine months pregnant. His plans didn't include delivering a baby at a filthy dark stable and cradling that baby in a feeding trough. He probably didn't intend to travel to Egypt in order to escape the death sentence that an evil king would place on all the children in and around Bethlehem. If Joseph was like any normal teenage boy I'm sure he had dreams and aspirations for his life. As he and his young bride planned out their life together neither one of them could have predicted the course that their life together would take. And we've all been in similar situations. We know we're coming to a crucial point in our lives and things aren't going the way we expected. Either we need a door to walk through and it just isn't there, or there are a thousand possibilities to choose from and as you plead for direction the Lord seems silent. We know what it's like to have our life take an unexpected turn. We know what it's like to have to scrap all of our plans and start over. It's easy to become anxious and stressed out in the changes and challenges of life, but here's a crucial question, do you believe that God loves you? Don't just pass by this, actually stop and consider it. Do you really believe that God loves you? Then why would you doubt that God has been intimately and purposefully involved in directing the course of your life? It may not seem like it now, but even when we don't see Gods guidance, even when our plans go out the window, even when our lives seem to be falling apart, God is directing the course of your life. Mary and Joseph are real people. They felt just like we do. They had emotions just like we do. They reasoned just like we do. They struggled to see Gods hand in their circumstances just like we do. But in reading through these early chapters of the life of the Lord Jesus we see that, though they may not have seen it, God was directing everything according to His sovereign plan. Mary became pregnant outside of the bonds of marriage. "this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”" They had to take an 80 mile trip to Bethlehem to pay taxes. This was to fulfill what the Lord said through the prophet Micah, "And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel." They had to flee to a foreign country to escape the death sentence of a paranoid king. This happened to fulfill the word of God spoken through the prophet Hosea, "Out of Egypt I called My Son." These things didn't catch God by surprise. He had this planned the whole time. And though they may not have been able to see it at the time, we can look back on their lives and see that, yes, God had a purpose in all of it. And do you think that your life is any less important to God then their lives were? It is no accident that you were born in the time that you were. As He placed Mary and Joseph into time some 2000 years ago to accomplish His will, so He has placed you in the exact time and place where you are right now for His own purpose. Your life isn't an accident, and it isn't an aimless path that is wandering from nowhere to nowhere without purpose. Sometimes I fear that I might miss Gods will for my life, but how foolish is that? If I'm worried about missing His plan for my life then that simply shows that I'm trusting in my own ability to discern and obey Gods will rather than trusting Him to lead and guide me and enable me to carry out His work. Sometimes I can look at my circumstances and my lot in life with discontent, seeing it as a burden rather than as a gift from the hand of God. But, as one writer put it, "Our present circumstances are to be looked upon as advantages which the Great Disposer has afforded us, and not, as we are apt to think, impediments which He has thrown in our way. They are the materials with which we are to begin to build, and not a heap of rubbish that must be cleared out of the way before we lay the first stone in the edifice of our lives." We should never suppose that we could be something if only we had a different lot and sphere assigned to us. The very things that we most depreciate, as fatal limitations or obstructions, are probably what we most want. What we call hindrances, obstacles, and discouragements, are probably Gods opportunities. For He says "My power is made perfect in weakness."

Twice during the childhood of the Lord Jesus we read that "Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart." And we would do well to follow her example. It's good to stop every once in a while and just reflect on how the Lord has worked in your life up to this point. Think back over the times when you felt lost or scared, when you didn't know how things would work out, when your were confused or conflicted, or you felt trapped, you didn't see how you would ever be able to move on, but by Gods grace you did. At the time you may not have seen the Lords guidance, but looking back you can see that He brought you through it. The path ahead is dark, but looking back we can see beyond the shadow of a doubt that "my times are in His hands." He led me all the way. Though we may not see it going forward, the Lord has declared, "I know the plans that I have for you." Though we don't know the plans that He has for us, He does. And we simply need to trust Him and entrust ourselves to Him. "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word."

"How can you live sweetly amid the vexations things, the irritating things, the multitude of little worries and frets, which lie along your way, and which you cannot evade? You cannot at present change your surroundings. Whatever kind of life you are to live must be lived among precisely the experiences in which you are now moving. Here you must win your victories or suffer your defeats. No restlessness or discontent can change your lot. Others may have other circumstances surrounding them, but here are yours. You had better make up your mind to accept what you cannot alter. You can live a beautiful life in the midst of your present circumstances."

Father, I know that all my life
Is portioned out to me;
The changes that are sure to come,
I do not fear to see;
But I ask Thee for a present mind
Intent on pleasing Thee.

I would not have the restless will
That hurries to and fro,
Seeking for some great thing to do,
Or secret thing to know;
I would be treated as a child,
And guided where I go.

I ask Thee for the daily strength,
To none that ask denied,
A mind to blend with outward life
While keeping at Thy side,
Content to fill a little space,
If Thou be glorified.

And if some things I do not ask,
In my cup of blessing be,
I'd have my spirit filled the more
With grateful love to Thee —
More careful than to serve Thee much,
To please Thee perfectly.

There are briers besetting every path,
That call for patient care;
There is a cross in every lot,
And need for earnest prayer;
But a lowly heart that leans on Thee
Is happy anywhere.

Psalm 31:14-15 - "But as for me, I trust in Thee, O Lord, I say, “Thou art my God.” My times are in Thy hand."