Please know that whatever God is speaking and through whatever avenue He chooses to speak it, it will always line up with His written word. The angel that came to Joseph in a dream lined up God’s plan with God’s Word. He lined up what was happening with the Word of God spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
Throughout our life, we will continually have to make decisions in difficult situations and circumstances. To make the right choices, we must seek God’s plan. How do we know when we have found God’s plan? There will always be two indicators that will let us know when we have found God’s plan. Number one, God’s plan will always line up with His Word (click to tweet). Number two, we will have a peace that God gives us about the plan.
God’s plan will always bring peace (click to tweet). “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).
Joseph received God’s plan that lined up with God’s Word, and he received a peace from God that allowed him to execute the plan. This Word and this peace enabled him to scrap his plan and execute God’s plan instead. Did it make his life easy? No, Joseph lived his life with everyone talking about how Mary got pregnant prior to their marriage ceremony. You know how people are. I imagine that people shamed Mary and Joseph all throughout their life on this earth, but they were chosen and blessed vessels of God. I imagine they are living pretty nice today around God’s throne as they both submitted to God’s plan and not human reasoning.
Beloved, God’s plan for our life in each situation and every circumstance is far better than our plan (click to tweet). As we seek God through prayer and as we wait on Him, He will lead us, and He will guide us. Weigh every decision you make on two premises. Does it line up with God’s Word? Do I have a peace about the decision? Unless you can say yes to those two questions, continue to pray and wait. If you act on your own plan, you will miss God. If you act on God’s plan, you will receive His blessings. Pray. Wait. Stay in the Word. Receive His peace. Be blessed.
Excerpted from the book, The Characters of Christmas: God at Work in Our Lives by Gregory A. Johnson. Copyright © by Gregory A. Johnson. All rights reserved.
