Luke 1:26-31
“. . .God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
Webster’s dictionary defines chaos as a state of utter confusion. The more we read the Christmas story, the more we see that the events leading up to the birth of Jesus were full of chaos. Verse 29 describes Mary as confused and disturbed, trying to understand the angel’s message to her, a recipe for chaos. The unexpected is one of the biggest triggers of chaos in our lives and Mary experienced some of the most unexpected events to ever happen—a virgin birth, tasked with raising the Son of God, the Messiah.
Have you ever or are you currently experiencing the unexpected in your life? What you thought was known is unknown? Your life hasn’t turned out quite like you thought it would? Let Mary’s story bring you comfort—what was unexpected for Mary was expected by God. Just like Mary, God has a plan for you too—a good, pleasing, and perfect plan. Take a moment now to turn the unmet expectations over to God and ask Him to help you follow His plan for your life instead.