In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2:1-7 NIV
Before the angel appeared to Mary, then to Joseph in a dream, they were ordinary people living ordinary lives just like you and I. Even after they realized God had chosen them to birth and raise the Messiah, they still woke up every morning and needed to move forward with life. God choosing to put on skin and enter the world He created is no doubt an amazing story. Although we are only given the major details surrounding the birth of Jesus, it’s not surprising that we tend to romanticize the entire story simply because of it’s undeniable importance. We focus on the multitude of angels appearing before the shepherds and the bright star guiding the wisemen. We like to picture Jesus laying in the manger with a smile on his face and a glowing halo around his head, the animals standing by neatly in a row admiring the new born King. But lets get real, this young teenage girl and her soon to be husband did not have angels guiding their every step nor did they have wisemen stopping by on a regular basis to give them valuable gifts. Instead, like you and I, they needed to figure out how to live each day in such a way as to please the Lord. God did not give them the details of the plan, they simply knew that Mary would bear the child and they were to name him Jesus.
The prophets had declared that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, but that’s not why Joseph took Mary there; they went because the government had ordered a census. I imagine the journey was long and hard on Mary being nine months pregnant. They were probably anxious about the journey, frightened by thought that the baby might arrive before they reached their destination. I’m sure Joseph felt the weight of the responsibility to get Mary to a safe place and was frustrated when he couldn’t find lodging. When all he could arrange was a dirty stable, his emotions probably ranged from anger, to embarrassment, to fear that he was not measuring up to what God had asked of him. Can you relate to how they must have been feeling?
God had a plan to get them to Bethlehem, to place them in that stable, and to send the shepherds there. God was never confused, anxious or frustrated with the way the events were unfolding. He was completely in control of every detail. But Mary and Joseph had no way of knowing that, except by faith. It’s no different for you and I. God has plans for us that we cannot see. He causes things to unfold in such a way because He is in the details, but He rarely shares the details with us. Instead, He asks us to remain faithful and to trust Him. What has God shown you recently regarding your life? He probably hasn’t given you the details of the plan, but that doesn’t mean He’s not guiding the process. When events unfold that you couldn’t possibly imagine are part of His plan, don’t be so quick to come to that conclusion. All God asks of us is to seek Him, obey what He tells us to do and trust Him with the rest.
Mary and Joseph found favor with God for a reason. It appears to me that they were willing to trust God even when they didn’t know what was coming next. They embraced the daily grind with faith that God was in control and would tell them what they needed to know in His time. When things went wrong they didn’t experience a crisis of faith, they prayed and waited till God provided direction. And while they waited they lived life doing the best they could. That’s really all God asks of any of us.