In Luke 2:4-6 it says, “Joseph went from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a Judean city called Bethlehem . . . Joseph went there to register with Mary. She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant. While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child.” (GW)
God’s plan for my life is good. It’s for my benefit. It’s a loving plan. But it doesn’t mean it’s painless, and it doesn’t mean it’ll always be convenient.
This was particularly true with Jesus’ birth. The circumstances were hardly convenient for Mary and Joseph. The Bible tells us, “At that time, the Emperor Augustus ordered a census of the Roman Empire . . . So Joseph went from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a Judean city called Bethlehem . . . Joseph went there to register with Mary. She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant. While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child” (Luke 2:1, 4-6 GW).
As they prepared to face their role as parents to the Son of God, Mary and Joseph heard that Caesar issued a census, and everybody had to go back to their ancestral town.
Let’s put that in perspective: If tomorrow the government made a rule that required every single person to go back to the town they were from—all at the same time—it would cause chaos! Every plane, train, and automobile would be booked. Every highway would be filled. It would be incredibly frustrating and remarkably inconvenient.
Now try navigating that chaos nine months pregnant. Imagine how inconvenient it would be to travel by donkey to another city when you’re ready to give birth at any moment. That’s what Mary did. Then, when she finally got to Bethlehem, she had to deliver her baby in a barn, surrounded by a bunch of animals.
None of the circumstances around Jesus’ birth were convenient. But they were part of God’s plan. It had been long foretold that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. The inconveniences to get them there were part of a bigger plan for Joseph and Mary, one that was better than they could have ever dreamed.
Joseph and Mary trusted God through their discomfort and fear. I, too, can trust that all the things God does in my life are because he knows best. He might use some inconveniences to get me where I need to be, but he is always working for my good and working out his purposes in my life.
Sometimes I think to myself, "I'm being obedient, so why aren't things going better?" I face discomfort or inconvenience and immediately think either I have misread God's will or that God has made a mistake. But consider this quiet couple as they headed toward Bethlehem. God did not soften Joseph's bumpy road, but strengthened him. God did not provide a luxurious inn for Joseph and Mary, but brought his Son into the world in humble surroundings. When I do God's will, I am not guaranteed comfort and convenience. But I am promised that everything, even discomfort and inconvenience, has meaning in God's plan. He will guide me and provide all that I need. Like Joseph, I need to live each day by faith, trusting that God is in charge.
In my own life, God has used many inconveniences to get me where he wants me to be today. I’m convinced that God will use anything that takes place in my life, whether of my own doing or as the result of someone else's. He uses these things to build or test my character. I find myself very fortunate to now better understand my purpose for being here on earth. All the things that have happened or opportunities that have come about and even my resources have been provided by him so that I can pursue the purpose and the goal he has for my life.
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