Confused

Confused

Have you ever taken a glance into your future and were left scratching your head in confusion. You are not alone!

I was reading the birth narratives of Jesus and took special note of the reference to prophecy - house and line of David, out of Egypt, Nazareth, Bethlehem - and looking forward to the Messiah had to leave people confused. How can the Messiah be from all those places? How is it possible? This doesn’t make sense!

I looked into the story itself and saw the inherent confusion of the people involved. “How can this be since I am a virgin?” “How can this be when my wife is old and beyond having children?” “I thought my wife was a virtuous woman. What am I going to do?” The future was cloudy and uncertain and the news didn’t make sense.

I love that God is not bound by what makes sense, is predictable, understandable or foreseeable. I am personally in the middle of one of those seasons. However, even after living in Nassau County, Florida for 5 months and living by faith, I can see His handiwork, provision and grace. I have seen his favor and experienced his blessing. I could have foreseen nothing of what he has done.

You may be looking into this coming Christmas with no clue how you will survive the family turmoil, conflict or emotional grief from loss. You may be looking toward 2022 with no clue how all the things ahead will form into anything that makes any sense. As you read about the birth of Jesus, see the confusion in Joseph’s dream, hear the confusion in Mary’s “How can this be?” and rest knowing that the God who doesn’t always make sense looking forward, always, after a season, makes sense looking back.

May your confusion rest in faith knowing your Heavenly Father has your situation in his care. You won’t have more answers and the ground will still shake but you won’t walk alone.