Joseph's Plan B

What a wonderful weekend we had! Just as he always is, God has been faithful to bring us a beautiful couple to get to know here in Dover. Tyler and Lindsey are friends we have made from Colorado. Their story is unique and one day with their permission I'll share it with you. But what I can tell you is that they are a perfect example of following God's plan and not their own.

This theme seems to be appearing so often in my life right now and yet again at church yesterday we heard a wonderful sermon about learning to obey God's plan from the eyes of Joseph. Joseph had big dreams and big plans to marry a Godly woman and start a family of his own. When he found out that Mary was pregnant he thought long and hard about leaving her. She meant nothing to him at this point and as far as he knew, she had betrayed their engagement and committed adultry. I wouldn't want to enter into a marriage that began like that would you?!

But just then, God appears to Joseph in a dream and says, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20-21)
That was all that Joseph needed to hear, that was all the instruction he was given and he did as he was told. "When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus." (Matthew 1:24-25)

So many of us would love to have an angel appear to us in a dream and tell us everything will be ok, just trust the Lord. Or to give us direction on what to do next. But that's not always what God does and the way that Joseph responded is certainly not always how we respond.  When our dreams or life plans don't just happen the way that we thought they would we crumble and cave in. Instead of standing up and walking forward with God.
What is your initial response when you find your dreams seeming to be caged or put on hold? Do you crumble or stand; turn inward or turn upward; become paralyzed or start walking?

It's not easy, but God wants us to walk by faith not by sight. To truly believe that he has a plan and holds our future before us. There are so many stories of people who have just simply obeyed the LORD's calling and have seen their lives transformed. Ultimately they can look back and see how God's plan was being fulfilled all along. I want to recognize his plan right now! I don't want to get to the end of my life and finally have that ah-ha moment, instead I want to recognize his hand at work right now!

For more on this summary of this Sunday's sermon (12/19) at Bay Area Community Church check out the podcast on their website. http://www.bayareacclive.com/