Chosen For His Plan

CHRISTMAS JOURNEY · STORY 2 OF 10

Scripture

Luke 1:26–38 (NLT)

Luke 1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27. to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greeting, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 29. Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32. He will be very great and will be called the son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 34. Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” 35. The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37. For the word of God will never fail.” 38. Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Matthew 1:18–21 (NLT)

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. 20. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

What Does “Chosen for His Plan” Mean?

God had an incredible plan for the birth of Jesus, and He chose Mary and Joseph to be part of it.

Mary was an ordinary young woman when the angel Gabriel brought her extraordinary news. God had chosen her to become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. Mary didn’t understand exactly how everything would happen, but she chose to trust God. She answered, “I am the Lord’s servant.”

Joseph also found himself facing something he didn’t understand. When he learned Mary was pregnant, the future he had planned suddenly seemed to fall apart. Then an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid. Mary’s baby was from the Holy Spirit, and Joseph was to name Him Jesus.

Mary and Joseph were given different roles in the same plan. Neither of them knew everything that was ahead. Both had questions. Both faced uncertainty. And both chose to trust God and follow where He was leading.

God still works through ordinary people. We may not always understand His plans, and our lives may not go exactly the way we expected. Mary and Joseph remind us that we don’t have to know the whole plan before we take the next faithful step.

Talk About It

How do you think Mary felt when Gabriel told her God’s plan?
How do you think Joseph felt when his plans suddenly changed?
What did God ask Mary and Joseph to do?
Did Mary and Joseph know everything that was going to happen?
How did Mary and Joseph show that they trusted God?
What can we do when we don’t understand what God is doing?

Take It With You

Chosen for His Plan reminds us that God can use ordinary people for important things.

Mary and Joseph didn’t have all the answers. They didn’t know every part of what was coming next. But when God showed them the next step, they trusted Him enough to take it.

There will be times when you don’t understand why something is happening or where God is leading you. You don’t have to have everything figured out. You can trust God with what you know today and take the next step with Him.

For little ones, the whole story can be remembered in one simple sentence:

“I can trust God even when I don’t know the whole plan.”

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