Choosing God’s Plans

When the angel Gabriel came to Mary with the good news that she was chosen by God to have a baby, I can imagine it was a big pill to swallow. All of a sudden Mary faced some big time issues.

What would her parents say? What about the church? How would the community handle the news? I mean, a pregnant virgin wasn’t a good defense even 2000 years ago.

And what about her wedding plans? No man, no matter how religious they are, would shout for joy when his future bride comes up pregnant. All of these things ran through Mary’s mind as the angel brought her the news of God’s plans for her.

What was Mary’s response? Was she suspicious? Confused? Doubtful? Or was she just not ready yet? "And Mary said, my soul doeth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For he that is mighty hath done for me great things; and holy is his name" Luke 1: 46, 47, 49. Even as a young teen with a future marriage in sight, Mary still considered God’s plans greater than her own. She put all on the line for God.

If I had been in Mary’s shoes, I hope I would have responded the same way. But I don’t know. Yet today, I can learn from her example and I am much more bold to choose God’s plans above my own.

God has plans for us too. And His plans may disturb ours. Will we follow Mary’s example, or will we allow circumstances to distract us? Will we focus on the voices around us or the Savior inside of us?

God is calling us to greater levels of commitment. As Christians, we should always put God’s plans first, even when we do not fully understand what He is doing.

God is faithful to keep His promises to us, but we cannot allow ourselves to get so busy with out life that we forget Him. If we choose His plans above our own, we will see how His plans will help our lives come together.