When God Messes Up Your Plans

Once upon a time, in the bustling city of Murphyville, there lived a young man named Alex Murphy. One fateful day, Alex woke up with a spring in his step, ready to conquer the world—or so he thought.

The day started innocently enough. Alex got out of bed and promptly stepped on a Lego left behind by his younger cousin. Wincing in pain, he hopped to the bathroom, only to discover that he was out of toothpaste. "Great start," he muttered to himself as he brushed his teeth with baking soda.

In a hurry to make it to work on time, Alex dashed to the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast. He reached into the refrigerator for some milk, only to have the entire carton slip from his grasp and crash onto the floor. The white liquid spread across the kitchen like a miniature milk flood.

Undeterred, Alex cleaned up the mess as best as he could and grabbed a granola bar for a makeshift breakfast. He rushed out the door, only to find that his car had a flat tire. With a resigned sigh, he called for a tow truck and decided to take the bus to work.

As Alex stepped onto the crowded bus, he realized he had forgotten his wallet at home. The bus driver, unamused by Alex's plight, refused to let him ride for free. With a deep sigh, he got off the bus and began the long walk back home to retrieve his wallet.

Finally armed with his wallet and a renewed sense of determination, Alex managed to catch the next bus to work. However, his string of bad luck continued. His boss called him into the office to inform him that the important presentation he had spent days preparing had been scheduled for the wrong day. The client meeting was happening in 10 minutes.

Frantically, Alex rushed to the meeting room, only to find out that the projector was malfunctioning. As he tried to fix it, he accidentally spilled coffee on his presentation notes. The client stared in disbelief as Alex, now with coffee stains on his shirt and a defeated expression, tried to salvage what was left of the presentation.

In the end, Alex's day of misfortune became the stuff of legend at the office. Co-workers couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all, and even his boss couldn't help but admit that it was the most entertaining presentation they had ever witnessed.

As the day came to a close, Alex trudged home, tired but with a newfound ability to laugh at life's unexpected twists. Little did he know that the next day would bring new adventures and hopefully a bit more luck

Maybe you have had a day like that when you wonder, why did I get out of bed? I need a Silent Night. Maybe you have had more than a day like that… maybe a year…

If you have had that kind of day, month or even year, tonight you are in the right place because we are going to look at what do do when things are going wrong, what to do when God changes your plans… and it’s the Christmas story that will teach us today.

What do you do when God messes with your plans?

The Christmas story is a story where everyone had their plans changed. Nobody’s life turned out the way they thought it would.

Mary and Joseph.

They really had their plans changed. They were a young couple who wanted to get married, settle down, have a home and some kids live their lives. In the middle of their preparation, an Angel comes along and says… By the way…

God has a new plan for you and there are three parts to it. Don’t get upset, but it’s big. First of all, you’re going to get pregnant before the wedding and it’s not going to be Joseph. Number 2, don’t worry about this, but it’s going to be a miracle. It’s never happened this way before and it will never happen this way again. We will call it the Virgin Birth. And… Number 3, the child you are carrying is God.

God messed up their plans.

King Herod

Herod was king of Judea. He had been appointed by the roman Empire to rule over Israel but he wasn’t even Jewish. Herod was crazy. he was a control freak and he was paralyzed by paranoia. He was always worried about someone trying to over throw his rule.

So to control his kingdom, he had a wife killed; he had his mother killed; he killed a couple of sons; he killed anyone around him that he thought might be a threat. so when he heard that the King of the Jews had been born in Bethlehem he flipped out. He gave an order to kill every baby in Bethlehem under two years old to make sure he would not be overthrown.

But God messed up his plans and Mary and Joseph escaped to Egypt.

The religious leaders of that day had their plans messed up by Christmas.

They had been praying for a Messiah (anointed One), for a Savior. They were praying for a political Messiah that would save them from Rome. They weren’t looking for a spiritual Savior. They were looking for someone to come overthrow Rome.

Then Jesus shows up saying things like, Love your enemy… Return good for evil… do good to those who despitefully use you… pray for those who persecute you… Love your neighbor as yourself and people are going Huh? This is not the Messiah we have been looking for.

God changed their plans

The InnKeeper

The Innkeeper that first Christmas didn’t plan to have a huge crowd at Christmas. That’s why he had to put Mary and Joseph in a stable because he was sold out; he had no room.

God messed up his plans

Shepherds

While the Shepherds were looking forward to a quiet night with their sheep, sitting out under the Bethlehem sky with all the beautiful stars in the sky… just aking it easy enjoying the peace and quiet.

Then all of a sudden, the bight light shined, they sky lit up and angels were all around and they said, You guys better head to Bethlehem because the Savior of the world has been born.

Their plans changed.

Has God ever changed your plans? How many of you in 2023 had your plans change at some point? Or think back to 2020. Everybody’s plans changed.

Listen.

Everything that happens in your life is not God’s will for your life.

A lot of the problems we have in our lives we bring on ourselves. We make dumb decisions, we make stupid mistakes, we say things that cause us problems AND god didn’t have anything to do with any of them.

Sometimes other people cause problems in your lives. We live in a broken planet where no one is perfect. We have all sinned. We have all made mistakes. That means that we also hurt each other. You hurt people sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally. And sometimes people hurt you either intentionally or unintentionally.

So a lot of things happen in the world but not everything is God’s will. Rape is not God’s will. Murder is not God’s will. Molestation is not God’s will. Abuse is not God’s will. Stealing is not God’s will. Lying is not God’s will. Sex outside marriage is not God’s will. None of those are Gods will. They just happen and that’s why we pray your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Because God’s will is done perfectly in heaven but almost never done perfectly here on earth… but one day it will be and soon. Why is this? God gave you and everyone else a free will. He gave you the ability to make choices.

So we can’t blame God for all the problems in the world. The problems are because of our will, not God’s. Now for sure, there are times when God intervenes because he wants to do something special in your life. And in order to do that he will change your plans. We are at the end of 2023 and many are making plans for 2024, but God may have a different plan for your life.

Proverbs 19:21 NLT

21 You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

We can make all the plans we want to, and sometimes they work out but many times things go differently that we planned. That’s often because God has a different plan.

So what do you do when when God changes your plans. Thats one of the lessons from the Christmas story. So today I want to show you three truths from this story to remember when your plans go the wrong way.

When God changes your plans remember these three things.

1. When God changes your plans, He’s trying to get your attention.

Someone said that God whispers to us in our pleasure, but he shouts to us in our pain. Pain is god’s megaphone to get our attention. God is saying, is anyone home? paying attention? Or are you too busy to listen to the one who created you?

God’s plan for Mary and Joseph was so incredible and out of the ordinary that He had to do something extraordinary to convince them that this was really going to happen because it had never been done before.

For us today, God doesn’t have to send an angel. We just have to listen. That’s not always easy because most of us are not great listeners when it comes to listening to God.

Most of us are actually pretty poor at listening because we are always talking. If we are not talking we listening to other stuff. We are too busy for God to get through to us.

Let me ask, Does God ever get call waiting when He calls you?

You know you’re having a bd day when you dial 911 and get put on hold.

We don’t ever say to God, Is there anything you want to say to me?

Psalm 81:13 NCV

13 I wish my people would listen to me; I wish Israel would live my way.

It’s like we all have spiritual ADD. God wants to help us avoid our problems, but too often we are too busy to listen.

He has a perspective you don’t have. Look what Solomon said,

Proverbs 16:25 NLT

25 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

He is saying that a lot of decisions you make end up being dead ends. Have you ever run into a dead end? me on the wrong Beverly Garden Drive… Have you ever made a decision that you thought was the right decision … and it wasn’t? Maybe you were going to marry a person; make this deal; start this business… and it turned out to not be the right thing. We all have. Why? We were not listening.

So we make these decisions we think are right but end up in disaster. The reason is for this is that we have limited perspective. We can’t see the big picture that God sees. God can see everything that’s going to happen in your life from now through 2024 and onward because he is not limited in time and space.

Our perspective is like when we went to Springfield over Thanksgiving. Over 100 miles of it was on a curvy two lane road. The problem was that we could not see around the curves to see if there was a car coming or not. God’s perspective would be like having a drone flying above telling us the coast was clear.

When you were a child, your parents had a different perspective than you did. They knew certain things like the hot stove would hurt you… like running out in the street without looking would get you hurt… or dating scuzzy guys would hurt you. They had a different perspective so they said no to a lot of things. They said no because they love you.

In the Bible, in God’s Word, there are some things he says we need to do in our lives and there are some things he says we should not do in our lives. Too often we think that we know more than God and do the things he has told us we should not do. Then we we have bad results we want to blame God when it’s our fault.

Everything God does in your life is for your good.

He does it our of love. He does it to protect you. Just as a loving parent would do, your heavenly Father sometimes says do not do that or you will be hurt. I don’t want you to get hurt, or to have a broken heart, a broken marriage, a broken body, broken dreams… So god says, I will give you are different perspective if you will just listen.

And when we don’t listen, we get all the heartache and pain and problems we never expected in the first place. So when God changes your plans, he is trying to get your attention.

2. When God changes your plans, He has a better plan

Look

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

As we get ready to go into 2024, none of us know what is going to happen. But God says that He has plans for us, plans for a hope and a future. But here is the thing,

God will not force His plans on you.

He will give you a choice. You can choose your actions, but you cannot choose the results of your choice. You can keep going with your plans and experience all the stress and pain and difficulties that will come when you do things your way. god is simply saying, I have a better plan.

We don’t know what god’s plan is or when He will change your plans. I know this. His plan is a bigger plan; it’s a better plan; it’s a rewarding plan and it’s a more difficult plan.

Let me talk about that for a moment.

God’s plan is a bigger plan than your plan. It always is.

Mary and Joseph’s plan was to settle down have babies and live a quiet life. but god said, No I will use you to bless the whole world. God’s plan for them was way bigger than they ever could have imagined.

If you stick with your plan, you will always be limited. You have no idea what God has planed for you… you can’t even imagine it. But God has a bigger plan.

God’s plain is more rewarding than your plan.

It’s the key to significance; to satisfaction; to where you go to what you do. It allows you to say, this is what I was made to do. Not only is it more rewarding here on earth, it’s way more rewarding in heaven where we will spend eternity.

Look at what Paul said,

1 Corinthians 2:9 LBP

9 That is what is meant by the Scriptures which say that no mere man has ever seen, heard, or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord.

We can’t even imagine his plans. His plans are bigger and more rewarding but

God’s Plan is also more difficult.

I don’t want you to fall into the trap may have fallen into where we think that now that we love Jesus everything will be ok. It’s almost always harder and often filled with pain,

God’s plan to use Mary was not an easy one. It wasn’t easy to face months of criticism, condemnation, gossip, and even threats because she was an un-wed teen mom. Can you imagine, Yea, your pregnant and you didn’t do anything… Right!

Then right before she is to deliver the baby, she has to make a long trip to Bethlehem on a donkey. You think that was fun? NO.

Then it was painful to give birth to her first baby - no anesthesia. But she is in a cold stable with a bunch of stinky animals when she most likely would have loved to be at home with her mother and aunts.

So the plan was difficult, but it was a plan of promise. I am sure Mary didn’t understand all of it right then and she probably asked God why a thousand times.

God often says, you don’t understand what I am doing right now, but you will.

God’s plan may be more difficult, but there is a 3rd part.

3. When God changes your plans, He wants you to trust Him.

When your plans don’t work out, God wants you to trust HIM.

Imagine how all of this tested Joseph’s faith. Imagine your fiancee comes and tells you, honey, I am pregnant and it’s not you, it’s from God. You think that was a stretch for Joseph to believer her? Imagine how many times Mary’s faith was tested in all of this.

God’s plan for their lives was so different that all they could do was to trust him.

Sometimes you don’t know God is all you need until God is all you have. In that moment, you have to learn to trust Him.

The first thing we have to do is to seek God.

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

You have to seek him because the bible says it’s only through faith that we can please him.

Hebrews 11:6 NLT

6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

You do not please God through religion, relationships or even ritual. You please God by seeking Him in faith. He is just like a parent when their child trust them. God is happy when we trust him.

So when your plans fall through, you seek God.

Don’t seek the solution. Don’t focus on the problem. Don’t seek explanation. Seek God.

The second thing you have to do is trust God.

You have to trust that he is good and that he knows what he is doing. Look at what Paul said,

Romans 8:28 LBP

28 And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.

Paul said we know… not guessing. It doesn’t mean somethings, it means everything. financial issues, health issues, relational issues, everything. It doesn’t say god causes it, but it says that God will use it for your good. Not everything that happens in your life if good, but God promises to use it for your good. A lot of bad happens, some we do to ourselves and some others do to us. God doesn’t do them to us, but he will walk with us through them so that he can work good out of all of it.

So we trust Him. We have to decide whether we will trust God or trust in ourselves.

The truth is that none of us knows what 2024 holds, but God does. We know that God has a plan for your life this next year. We know that at some point he will change your plans. We know that God will always be with you no matter what those plans become. And we know this, that cooperating with God’s pans for our lives is the only way to really live. The other way is a dead end.

There are three warning signs you are not trusting God, fatigue, frustration and fear.

When you are fatigued, it’s often because you are following your plan and not following God’s plan. When you are frustrated, you are following your plan and not’s God’s plan. When you are fearful or worried and anxious, it’s because you are following your plan and not God’s plan. Those are warning signs.

That’s why God sent Jesus to be our Savior. Not just to save us from our sin. He did do that, but he came to deliver us from the effects of sin as well. Some of those effects are: failure; fatigue; frustration; fear; anxiety; depression; resentment; anger; loss; worry; guilt; shame; and bitterness to name a few of the emotions that come along with not going with God’s plan. So that’s why God sent Jesus at Christmas.

Psalm 138:8 NLT

8 The Lord will work out his plans for my life— for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.

God says he has a plan for each one of us and he will work it out if we will just trust the one he sent that first Christmas.

That’s why the angels announced that first Christmas, “Today a Savior has been born for you. He is Christ the Lord.” Why do we celebrate Christmas? Because God sent us a Savior. He is a personal Savior.

You may be thinking, why do I need a Savior, I’m ok.

Listen, if we didn’t need a Savior, God would not have bothered to send one. whether you realize it or not, you need a Savior.

You need a Savior to save you from yourself. You need a Savior to show you your purpose. You need a Savior to save you for eternity. You need a Savior to forgive all of your sins. You need a Savior to help you stay on the right path. and on and on.

God said, I am sending a Savior in human form… Jesus who will pay the price for your sins and my sins.

Have you ever accepted God’s gift of Jesus to you? If not, it’s like an unopened Christmas gift. It’s no good until you open it.

If you sent me a gift and I didn’t open it, you would be hurt and maybe even offended. … …

You would be hurt and I would miss the blessing of your gift.

Have you ever gotten a gift? We give gifts because the wise men brought gifts to Jesus. They started the tradition. You need to accept God’s gift to you. He wants to save you.

Has God been trying to get your attention? One of the ways he often does is through finances. Another way is through relational conflict. Those are two big ways he tries to get our attention.

You are not here by accident. You are not listening by accident. God is trying to get your attention this morning.

All of us are on one of three categories of people.

Seekers - You are checking things out. The wise men were seekers. They were seeking God. Wise men still seek God today.

Saved - You have already accepted God’s Christmas gift to you. You have been forgiven, you have a purpose for living, and you have a home in heaven.

Stumblers - Maybe you knew Jesus at one point and have drifted away from him. You once felt close to him but haven’t felt close for some time. It’s time for you to come home today.

No matter how you got here, I want to close with a Christmas prayer. As I pray, just say me to in your mind.

Prayer

Dear God I really want to know you. I want to know you better in 2024. I realize now that you have been trying to get my attention and that I am missing something in my life. I just didn’t know it was you. I admit that I’ve been focusing on my plan not yours but I want things to change.

Thank you for sending Jesus to be my Savior. This Christmas I accept your gift of salvation. Jesus, I want to turn from my own ways and start following you. I want to learn to love you and trust you. Please replace my confusion with your peace. Replace my guilt with your forgiveness. Replace my uncertainty about death with your gift of eternal life. I pray this in your name Jesus. Amen

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