Merry Christmas! Perhaps you’re gathering with family to open gifts and eat great food, or maybe it’s a quiet day for you. However you are celebrating today, the team here at The Christian Working Woman is here to wish you a blessed day. We just want to send you words of joy, reminding all of us of the miracle we are celebrating today.

I’ll begin with this passage from Mary’s Magnificat, the amazing words she spoke as she visited her cousin Elizabeth. Here she is, a very young woman who will bear the Son of God, and she said:

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name (Luke 1:46-49).

Here’s a familiar passage from the prophet Isaiah:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:5-7).

And the Apostle Paul said this:

Who, [Jesus Christ] being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:6-11).

Remember—you are deeply loved by the Savior of the world who came to sacrifice himself for our sake.

Let me close with this reminder that what we are truly celebrating today is Jesus is our salvation:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Merry Christmas!

Are you feeling anxious about something today? Are you very disturbed over a situation in your life? Does it seem impossible to find any rest and peace right now? Recently, a passage in Isaiah 48 gave me some insight into the reasons behind the anxiety and unrest I was experiencing.

This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea (Isaiah 48:17-18).

How incisively the Word of God cuts through and exposes the real issues. I was reminded anxiety and unrest are often a result of my failure to pay attention to what I know about God. Rarely do I need some new truth or principle to help me out; I just need to practice what I know already.

God’s direction and commands are there for all of us to see and understand. We know the basics, don’t we? And yet our feet tend to stray. We leave off something here and something else there, which we know we should be doing, and we fail to completely follow the commands of God, which are clearly understood.

I find I rarely make a deliberate decision to wander from God’s principles. It’s simply a failure to pay attention to what I know already. My focus becomes fractured. I move slightly off-center, simply because I haven’t paid attention like I should.

And when that happens, the results are anxiety, frustration, and loss of peace and rest. When you start to dig underneath those outward effects, you often discover the cause is a failure to pay attention to God’s commands. It may be something that seems very small, but if we walk away from doing it God’s way, we can expect to lose the peace and rest we so need.

The Lord told his people, “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river.” If you’re missing peace in your life today, check out the obedience department and see if there’s some area where you’re not paying attention to God. Once you get that straightened out, that wonderful, marvelous, indescribable peace will return, like a river, flooding your heart and calming your nerves.

Do you have days when you feel like the score is: The World – 100; God – 0? Does it sometimes appear you’re on the losing team?

Maybe you go to a job where God is irrelevant to the people around you—where his name is used only in profanity, and they seemingly give no thought to God as Creator, Ruler, or Sovereign. You’re in a daily environment where a commitment to Jesus Christ is looked upon as foolish, naive, or laughable. When you apply biblical principles in your everyday world, people take advantage of you, ignore you, or discount your ideas altogether.

Let’s face it, that’s the way it seems at times. You’re walking the straight and narrow, but what for? Where does it get you? The other team does what they please and gets ahead for it. Do you sometimes feel like joining the other team? Are you tired of being in the minority all the time—seemingly losing all these skirmishes you face every day?

Well, I want to encourage you today to remember one thing: The final chapter has been written, and we know what the end will be. I think of the young boy who was reading a thrilling mystery book when his mom insisted he put the book down and do his chores. “But, mom, I’m in the fourth chapter and the villain has the hero in his clutches. Looks like he’s going to die! I can’t quit now.” But mom insisted so hurriedly he flips to the last chapter and reads the final page. He then bounds into the kitchen where his mother is waiting and says, “Wow, that old villain is doing real good in Chapter 4, but just wait till he gets to the end of the book. Is he in for a surprise.” It looked liked disaster in Chapter 4, but when you know the end, then Chapter 4 takes on a whole new perspective.

Maybe you’re in Chapter 4 today, and you need to flip to the end and read the last page. It’s already been written, and I can tell you the outcome: Jesus wins and those of us who are his followers will win and reign with him. Read Revelations 20, 21, and 22 today.

Remember, God has not lost control of this world. He is bringing it to its end in his time and for his purposes. He is Sovereign and he still reigns in heaven.

As you head into a world where it may appear the score is unevenly in favor of the world’s crowd, remember the last chapter, and don’t let Chapter 4 get you down. If you know Christ as your Savior, you’re on the winning team!

It took me ten years before I came to that place of letting go of my dreams and relinquishing them for God’s plan for my life. Ten years of doing my own thing, running my show, determined to get what I wanted. In those ten years had you asked me if I wanted to live according to God’s plan for my life, I probably would have said yes, but it would have just been a cover-up because in truth, I wanted God to bless my plans. I wanted my dream to come true—hopefully with God along for the ride—but one way or another, it was my way or the highway. Is that where you are?

Take it from me: Don’t waste ten years or ten minutes trying to make your dreams come true. Trust a trustworthy God who has better plans than yours and who loves you unconditionally. During the eighteen months of grieving the loss of my dream, there were days when I just about didn’t make it. I came so close so many times to taking back the controls of my life into my own hands. But thankfully, I was spending time in God’s Word, I was getting to know God, and I knew I just couldn’t turn back.

What finally became so clear to me was that my basic problem was my fear of trusting God. And then I realized not only how stupid that was, but how sinful it was for me to trust myself and not the God who made me.

Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

There is no reason for you to fear God’s plans for your life. Satan has told you lies about how miserable your life will be if God it is in control, and he’s a good liar. The God of heaven and earth is a trustworthy God. You can trust him.

Moses is a case study of a man who came to understand God had a plan for his life, and it was a good one. You know how his life was saved as a baby by a very creative mother and sister. As Moses grew to manhood, he was educated as an Egyptian with all the privileges that came from being raised as Pharaoh’s daughter. No doubt his future looked bright and promising because he was the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

But he never forgot he was a Jew, one of God’s chosen people, so he wanted to help his people. Pharaoh kept the Jewish people in bitter servitude, and they were sorely mistreated. One day when Moses saw an Egyptian beating one of his Hebrew brothers, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. He thought he was doing the right thing to defend his countryman, but the next day, when he saw two Hebrews fighting each other and tried to stop them, they turned on him and said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” (Exodus 2:14).

Well, this just blew Moses away. He thought his murderous act was a secret, but now he realized it wasn’t, and when Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses. So, Moses fled from Pharaoh and lived in Midian, where he became a lowly, humble shepherd. For 40 years, Moses lived in exile in Midian. His life and dreams were changed overnight. And it was because of something he did; something he should not have done. Regardless of the reason, murdering another man was wrong. So, through his own actions his dream died. Now Moses figured his Plan A was ruined; he had to settle for Plan B.

Is this your story, too? Have you brought grief on yourself because of a foolish decision or choice? Has your disobedience—your sin—caused you to live with regret, think that you’ve lost your dream, and settle for the best you can do? You’re now relegated to Plan B—or C or D?

Moses figured he had blown it so badly, that God would never use him again. But he was wrong. After 40 years, as Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law at Horeb, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. God clearly spoke to him and gave him a new assignment—to go and set his people free from Pharaoh.

Moses is now a humbled man, and he insists he cannot do it. “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” he asked. God said, “I will be with you. I am who I am, and you will tell the Israelites that ‘I am has sent me to you’” (Exodus 311-12).

Moses asked, “Who am I?” but God said, “I will be with you.” Moses was asking the wrong question. He was looking at himself and judging—rightly so—that he couldn’t do this job God was calling him to do. God simply ignored his question and told him what he needed to know: “I will be with you. I AM has sent you.”

If you’re looking at yourself and asking, “Who am I?”, then you need to change your focus and change your question. Ask instead, “God, will you be with me?” Certainly, we need to be humble, but when we focus on ourselves instead of on God, then that’s not real humility; that’s pride in disguise; that’s doubting God; that’s fear.

James 1:5 – 8: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded, unstable in all they do.

Romans 8:15: For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Moses is right—by himself he is not capable of doing what God is calling him to do. But that’s not the point! God is going to do it through Moses!

Philippians 1:6: Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:26 – 29: Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

Moses began that journey with God after 40 years in a desert, but it wasn’t too late. He wasn’t too old. He hadn’t made such a mess of his life that God could not redeem it, because God can redeem anybody’s story.

And furthermore, those 40 years in the desert weren’t wasted. He learned humility, and he needed humility to do the great things God had planned for him. Later after following God’s plan, he led the children of Israel out of bondage, parted the Red Sea—all the great things God did through him—and was called “a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). God needed a very humble man to do very great things. It was all Plan A.

What is keeping you from doing what God has planned for you to do?

• Is it fear?
• Is it that you have your own plan and you just want God to bless your plan?
• Is it laziness?
• Is it lack of trust in God’s ability to do through you what you cannot do yourself?
• Is it a relationship?
• Or could it be that your story has never been redeemed, because you’ve never put your trust in Jesus Christ?

Whatever it is, are you ready to give up your dream for God’s plan?

Don’t you see God wants to take your brokenness, your mistakes, your bad choices, your shame, and turn it all into an instrument he can use? Remember how he took Moses’ rod and removed the snake that was in it and then gave it back to Moses (Exodus 4:2-4). That was the rod that parted the Red Sea, that brought water from the rock, that was used mightily by God in the hand of Moses. He’s the same God today, and he can do the same for you.

It’s never too late—whether it’s 40 years or more. It’s never too late to let God turn your life into something beautiful for his glory. Everything that has happened to you up to this point—every event, whether positive or negative, can be used by God. Remember, it’s all Plan A!

Have you been so busy getting ready for Christmas that you’ve lost sight of its real meaning? That is easy to do. I’ve been trying to encourage all of us to see the Christmas season as an opportunity for evangelistic outreach.

Louise and Fran decided to have a Christmas party for their friends at work, and at the end of the party they gave a Christmas play, with the help of Fran’s kids. Then Louise briefly shared her testimony and closed their party in prayer.

As their guests were leaving, everyone commented on how nice the party was. Andy, Fran’s good friend from the Art Department, said to her, “This was the nicest Christmas party I’ve ever been to. Really makes you stop and remember what Christmas is all about.”

Fran noticed Janice and George kept hanging around, as though they were reluctant to leave. Finally, everyone had gone except them, and Fran said, “You guys want to have another cup of coffee before you hit the road?”  She expected them to refuse, but to her surprise, they stayed. Fran sent her kids off to bed, and the four of them sat around the table.

Janice said, “Fran, thanks for inviting us. I’m really glad we’ve gotten to know each other. Your kids are so cute.”

“Thanks, Janice,” Fran says.

“I couldn’t believe how much they had memorized,” Janice comments.

“Well, they’ve been quoting the Christmas story at church since they could talk, practically, so they know it pretty good,” Fran says.

“I wish our kids…” Janice starts, then catches herself.

“What she started to say,” George adds quietly, “is that she wishes our kids went to church like yours. But, well, I just don’t believe in God so why should they waste their time? However, after watching your kids tonight, I can see how much they enjoyed it. Maybe I should let ’em go at Christmas time.”

“Oh, honey, that would be wonderful,” Janice lights up.

For over an hour Janice and George sit at the table with Fran and Louise talking about why George decided to be an atheist and why Fran and Louise believe in God and Jesus. It was an absolutely amazing conversation.

“Wow, hon, it’s after midnight,” George finally says. “We need to go.”

“I’m so glad you stayed,” Fran says. “Listen, George, why don’t you come with the family to our Christmas concert tomorrow night. We’d love to have you.”

“I don’t know,” he says, “I’ll think about it. This is kinda heavy for me.”

“Well, you think about it,” Louise says, “and we’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

As they leave, Louise and Fran take time to pray God will continue to work on George’s heart. “Underneath that tough exterior is a man who knows he doesn’t have all the answers, Fran,” Louise says, and they agree that this party was a divine appointment for George.

Look for your divine opportunities this Christmas.

Have you been to any Christmas parties yet this season? Fran and Louise have decided to have a different party this year. Instead of inviting their Christian friends from church, they’ve invited all their friends at the office, most of whom are not Christians.

Fran gets up early this Saturday morning, knowing she has lots to do to get ready for the party tonight. Louise comes over later in the morning to help. She’s been cooking all week to have everything ready, and the kids are excited to help, too.

About mid-afternoon, Fran says, “Hey, you guys, we need to practice our Christmas play.” They decided after everyone eats and they have some fun games, the four of them will re-enact the Christmas story. Fran brought costumes home from church, Louise made a manger, Alice put her best doll in the manger, and Drew made cardboard cut outs of a sheep and a cow.

The evening goes really nice. Fran is so pleased that twenty-three people came, including Janice and her husband, George. She whispered to Fran, “I’d never get him to church, but he’s always ready for a party!” George says he is an atheist.

Everybody seems to be having a great time; there’s lots of laughter and clean fun. Finally, it’s time for the play. Louise says, “Well, since this is a Christmas party, we wanted to have something special—a Christmas play, with the help of Drew and Alice.”

At first people seem a little uncomfortable, but as Louise and Fran get the manger in place, everyone finds a seat so they can watch. Alice is an angel, and she quotes from Luke 2: Behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy. She looks like an angel, and everyone applauds when she finishes. Children can break down barriers between people very easily, Fran notes to herself.

They go through their prepared play, telling the story of Christmas. Drew is a shepherd, and Fran and Louise play Mary and Joseph. Then the kids sing a Christmas song they learned at church, which tells why Jesus came to a manger.

As it ends, there’s not a sound in the house, and not a few are dabbing tears away. Louise says, “Well, we just wanted to share with you what Christmas means to us. You know, lots of people are celebrating Christmas but they don’t really know Jesus. I’m so glad that when I was sixteen years old, I found out who Jesus is, and he became my Savior.”

And without embarrassment, Louise shares her testimony and then leads in a prayer at the end of their party. Let’s take back Christmas and find better ways to celebrate it.

Since it’s very close to Christmas, I’m suggesting we ask God for creative ideas on how we can use the celebration of Christmas to open some new doors of witnessing. Fran and Louise have caught that vision this year, and they’re planning a party at Fran’s house for their office friends.

In addition, Fran took a beautiful family crèche to her office in hopes it would generate some conversations and questions that would offer opportunities to share the good news about Jesus, and it has done so already.

Janice is a co-worker Fran hasn’t really gotten to know, but she showed an interest in Fran’s manger scene. That has led to a luncheon together. As they sit down to eat, Fran asks, “How does your family usually celebrate Christmas?”

“Oh, we just exchange gifts on Christmas Eve like everyone else, I guess,” Janice says. “My kids have outgrown Santa Claus, but when they were little, that was a lot of fun.”

“Do you have any special programs at your church?” Fran continues to probe.

“Well, actually we don’t go to church, sorry to say,” Janice hangs her head a bit. “You see, my husband is an…atheist…or so he says. So, we haven’t been to church since we’ve been married. I miss it; I used to go when I was kid, at least at Christmas and Easter.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Fran says. “I’d miss church, too, especially during Christmas. We have such beautiful programs at our church. In fact, if you’d like to, I’d be glad to pick up you and the kids for one of our concerts.”

Janice looks at Fran. “Well, I don’t think my husband would like that,” she says, then she hesitates. “You know, I don’t care whether he likes it or not. I would just love to go to church this Christmas.”

“Great,” Fran says, and they arrange the date and time. Then Fran says, “It’s interesting that your husband is an atheist, but you are not, I gather.”

“No, I believe in God, and I want my kids to believe in God, too,” Janice says.

“Do you think they will, since their daddy doesn’t?” Fran asks.

“I doubt it,” Janice says sadly. “Philip, my twelve-year-old, already makes jokes about Christians and church, just like his dad does. I don’t like it, but what can I say?”

“Yeah, I see what you mean,” Fran says. “Did you know your husband was an atheist when you married him?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think it would make any difference,” Janice says. “But the longer I’m married, the more it bothers me. I want to be a religious person.”

“You know, Janice, the reason you feel that way is because we all have a great God-shaped void inside us and he’s the only one who can fill it up,” and with that Fran has a marvelous opportunity to tell Janice how Jesus wants to make her more than a religious person but a new person in Christ.

Reach out to someone new this Christmas, someone you don’t know so well at your job or in your neighborhood. You might be as surprised as Fran is to discover how easy it is to share the gospel, especially during the Christmas season.

Do you sometimes feel sick at this time of year over the godless celebrations of Christmas? I want to challenge all of us to take Christmas back from its secularized version and use this time of year as an opportunity to reach out to people with the whole story of Christmas—that Jesus came as a baby for one reason, to die on a cross so that we could go to heaven.

Fran and Louise have decided they want to do something different this year. Instead of having her usual Christmas party for her friends at church, she and Louise decided to have a party for people at work. Since it will be in her home, Fran can control the menu and the tone of the party, and she and Louise have thought of a creative way to get the gospel in.

This Sunday evening, after Louise left, she and the kids decide to get out some of the decorations for Christmas. “Oh, here’s my beautiful Christmas crèche that Aunt Regina gave me,” Fran says as she carefully unwraps each beautiful piece.

“Are you gonna put it on the mantel again this year, Mom?” Drew asks.

“Yeah, I think that’s the best place…” Fran starts, and then a thought overtakes her. “Hey, kids, would you mind if I took this to the office this year? I could display it on my credenza at work, and maybe it would start some conversations.”

“But Mommy, we always have it on our mantel,” Alice objects. “It’s so pretty. It might get broke at work.”

“I know, Alice,” Fran says, “and I’ve been so careful with it all these years. It’s a beautiful treasure.”

“You said it cost a lot of money,” Alice adds.

“Hmm, I’m sure it did. But you know, Alice, if it would help someone hear about Jesus, don’t you think it would be worth it to put it in my office this year?” Fran asks.

“Well,” Alice says, “since you put it that way.”

The next day Fran takes her beautiful family treasure to the office and carefully displays it on her credenza. One of her peers, Janice, comes in just as she is putting it out.

“What’s that, Fran?” she asks. “Oh, a manger set. That’s nice.”  She begins to look at it closely. “Actually, it’s exquisite. Where did you get it?”

Fran explains the family history of her crèche and then says, “I just wanted to find a way to remind myself and everybody else about the real reason we have Christmas. I think it sometimes gets lost in all the craziness, don’t you?”

“The real reason?” Janice says. “What do you mean?”

What a great question. Just what Fran had hoped for. “You know, it would take longer than we’ve got right now to answer that question. How about lunch today?”

“Lunch with me?” Janice seems surprised. She and Fran just never have had an opportunity to get to know each other very well. But they agree to meet for lunch, where Fran has an open door to talk about the real meaning of Christmas.

What could you do in your office or workplace this Christmas that might start a meaningful conversation? Think about it.

As we all find ourselves swallowed up by our preparations for Christmas, it’s good to remember Christmas holds no true meaning unless we know that Jesus came for one purpose: to die on a cross and be raised again so we could be redeemed from our sins.

I believe we have a great opportunity during Christmas to reach out to people with the good news of the gospel because typically people are more open to talking about religious matters at this time of year. This week I have another Fran and Jesus story as Fran begins to see what she can do during this Christmas season to tell the story of Jesus—the whole story—to her friends at work.

She and her friend Louise are driving home from church this Sunday afternoon and Louise says, “Pastor’s sermon was very challenging, don’t you think, Fran?”

“You mean about finding ways to reach people during Christmas?” she responds. “Yeah, it made me think about what I could do at the office.”

“It just makes me sick the way Christmas is treated around there,” Louise comments. “I mean, nobody even mentions Jesus. It’s just an excuse for parties and drinking and…”

“Yeah, do you remember last year’s Christmas party?” Fran continues. “I left after dinner; it was too crazy for me.”

“I stayed awhile longer, but I wished I had left when you did,” Louise says. “Well, what do you think we could do to try to change that and make people see what Christmas is all about?”

“We could invite people to our church concert,” Fran says. “I did that last year, and Andy brought his family. They really enjoyed the music.”

“That’s a good idea,” Louise says. “But there must be something we can do right in the office…”

“Oh, you have to be careful,” Fran says, “or we’ll be accused of being politically incorrect!”

“Hey, Mom,” Drew pipes in from the back seat, “why don’t you and Louise have your own party at our house.”

“Well, hon, I don’t think… ” Fran starts and then stops. “Drew, you know, that’s not a bad idea.”

“Actually, it’s a great idea, Drew,” Louise says. “Why don’t we, Fran? Then we can control what goes on, have some great fun, and somehow get the gospel in.”

“Let’s do it, Louise,” Fran says with enthusiasm.

“And we’ll help, Mom,” Alice volunteers.

“You bet,” they agree. All afternoon they plan the party, write the invitations, and then they pray God will use it to help them tell the true story of Christmas. What could you do to reach out during this Christmas season? It’s a great opportunity. Don’t let it get lost in the frenzy of celebrations.

For a long time, I used to say I was living in God’s Plan B for my life, and that even though it was Plan B, it was still a good plan. I really thought that because I messed up my life so much, God had to come up with a different plan for my life and let me settle for something less than he had planned for me. It’s as though I thought God looked down at my mess and said, “Goodness, what am I going to do now? How did Mary get herself in such a mess? Guess I’ll have to come up with Plan B.”

That’s because I really messed up. Whatever “baggage” I have brought into my life has been bags I’ve packed myself. I have no one to blame but me. I made poor choices, wrong decisions, and chose sinful paths for about ten years of my young adult life.

Briefly, when my daughter was eight years old, I found myself going through a divorce. This was the last thing I ever thought would happen to me; it was the last thing my family or friends ever imagined would happen. After all, I was raised in a good Christian home, graduated from a Christian college, and was the music director at my church! But there it was—I was divorced and I had to earn a living and my entire life dramatically changed.

I was so insecure about my value as a woman and so desperately needed to feel loved and valued, that as the old song goes, I looked for love in all the wrong places. And for ten long years, I covered up, pretended I was totally in control, climbed the corporate career ladder, earned more money, got promotions, bought more stuff—and all the time the little girl in me was crying for someone to say, “You are precious to me.” Sure, I had friends and a wonderful family. I should have been content with the love they had for me, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to know that I was valued as a woman!

It took a move to Chicago, a dreadful career decision, and many broken relationships, but finally in God’s grace, like the prodigal son, I came to my senses and returned to my Father, asked for forgiveness, received it completely, and started on a new path. That was about 43 years ago. And that new path has been full of his blessing and the great privilege is mine to have this ministry. Let me assure you I do not have it all together, but I can tell you I know I am loved and precious to God, and that has satisfied my heart like nothing else ever could or did.

So that’s why I used to say I messed up Plan A, but God gave me Plan B. I t was good, but it wasn’t Plan A. It was second best—Plan B. Then not long ago I began to take a second look at my theology and realized if I truly believed in the sovereignty of God, then I had to believe God doesn’t have any Plan Bs. It’s all Plan A with God. You see, believing God is sovereign means you believe he always, at all times, has every situation in control! Nothing ever takes him by surprise. Before the world ever began, my days were written in his book.

Psalm 139:16: All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

And then I was reading Jeremiah 1:5, where the Lord said to Jeremiah:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. . .”

The Bible makes it clear that God is in ultimate control of us as individuals and of the world as well, from the international scene to a sparrow that falls.

Isaiah 46:10: I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

Daniel 4:35: All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”

Psalm 115:3: Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.

Now, if you want me to explain God’s sovereignty to you, I must admit I simply cannot—and furthermore, I’m not sure anyone can totally understand or explain it. I have questions I can’t answer. I know it wasn’t God’s will for me to mess up like I did; I know it is not God’s will that some of you have suffered terribly because of evil people and what they have done. God does not condone sin in any form; it is never from God. So how does that all fit together with the truth that God is sovereign in the world, and he is sovereign in my life? I’m not quite sure, but if God were small enough that I could explain and understand him totally in my very limited, finite mind, he wouldn’t be much of a god.

But what he does, in ways I cannot explain, is take the shambles of our lives, the sins done by us and to us, the wrong paths we’ve chosen and the foolish decisions we’ve made—he takes all that and weaves it into something beautiful and good that can be used for his glory. Romans 8:28 is true:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Of course, the qualifier there is “for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.” If you’ve been born from above through faith in Jesus Christ, and you’ve been given new life in Christ, then you qualify for this promise, that in all things God works for your good.

Many of us grew up with a Cinderella delusion—the “happily-ever-after” belief that somehow our dreams really will come true, and we would live happily-ever-after. Translate this to a Christian worldview, and we conclude that God will make our lives good and easy and give us our dreams because he’s God, and he loves us, and he’ll give us what we want. Isn’t that what believing in God is all about? He’s there to make our dreams come true?!

I know some people reading this right now are carrying broken dreams and shattered hopes. Some of you are:

• Single never married. Is that what you dreamed of as you were growing up?
• Others are married with no children. Did you ever imagine you would be childless?
• Some are, no doubt, in an abusive marriage. Was that your fantasy marriage?
• Some are divorced because your mate walked off and left you—or perhaps you were forced to leave your mate. Was that a dream come true?
• There are those who are dealing with health issues that plague you constantly. Did you ever see yourself as suffering in any way?
• Some are facing what looks like a financial disaster. Is that how you dreamed your life would be—full of financial woes and worries?
• Perhaps you are a single parent, raising children by yourself. Was that on your hope list as you grew up?
• Some of you have children or grandchildren who have walked away from God and are living a sinful lifestyle. Is that what you dreamed of when you held that precious baby in your arms?

Whether it’s life-long dreams or something less important, who of us hasn’t expected God to fulfill our desires, to make our dreams come true. Then when it doesn’t happen, we get angry or bitter, we complain and become depressed, we lose faith, and some of us just give up and walk away—because life hasn’t turned out according to our plans. Or what often happens, we just live with our broken dreams. We figure there’s nothing more that can be done and try to make the best of our lives, but we live in regret and mediocrity.

Dreams have been dashed, our idealism has been crushed, and our Cinderella delusion has bitten the dust. Can this really be Plan A?

To believe all things work for your good because you are called according to his purpose, the first issue you must face is: Do you want God’s plan or your dream?

I remember counseling a young single woman who desperately wanted to be a young married woman. She was just miserable being single. Not a day or hardly an hour went by that she didn’t focus on how much she wanted to be married and how much she hated being single. I said to her, “Are you willing to put your life into God’s hands and tell him you want his plan for your life, regardless of what that plan is?” She said, “I know I can never be happy being single; there’s just no way I can be happy with that if that is what God has planned for me.”

I told her I understood how she felt—I’ve been there—but I asked her if she was willing to give God permission to change her desires and make her willing to do his will? She said she couldn’t believe her desires could ever change. I said, “You don’t have to believe God can change you; you just have to give him permission to do it if he can.”

Your trust in God and his sovereignty in your life may indeed be very weak. That could be because you haven’t learned to trust him, you haven’t gotten to know him as well as you need to. We trust those we know well. But you have to start somewhere—and maybe today could be your starting place. If all you can do is give God permission to change you so you will want to do his will, then start there.

Do you remember when Jesus encountered a man whose son had a demon and none of the disciples could help him? He approached Jesus and said, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “’If you can’?’  Everything is possible for him who believes.” And the father’s response was, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief” (Mark 9:22-24).

He started where he was. He was desperate and he kinda sorta believed Jesus could heal his son. He had heard about all the great things Jesus had done, and so he came to Jesus with his very tepid, fearful belief—but he came anyway. He admitted his weak faith, and asked Jesus to help him have more faith in Jesus.

That’s a strange request, don’t you think? “I believe in you, Jesus, but please help me overcome my unbelief.” You may be right there today. You believe but you know there’s some unbelief in your heart, too. You just haven’t yet been willing to say, “Not my will but yours be done” and you don’t know how to get there.

Ask Jesus to help you overcome your unbelief. And then by faith let go of your dream and ask God for his plan. Without faith it’s impossible to please God. Your first step will be a step of faith—you simply choose to let go of your dream and accept God’s plan.

My purpose this week is to inspire and encourage you to become more intentional about knowing God better by becoming more aware of his many wonderful attributes. And I’m offering a handout that might help you form that new habit. You’ll find it on our website, and it’s called An Attribute a Day Keeps the Devil Away. The last attribute we will consider is the omnipotence of God. Omni equals all; potence equals power. God is all powerful. And his power is not acquired, and it does not depend on anything outside of himself. It is self-existent, self-sustained. If you or I have some power in some area, it is because someone or something has given us power. Our politicians have power because we vote them in office. But our God is omnipotent, and his power is within himself. God created the world without any tools or materials—ex nihilo. He created the world without the use of any pre-existent matter. As you look at the universe around you, the stars, the clouds, the mountains, the seas, think of this: God spoke them into existence. He started with nothing and created them. He is all powerful. If you have ever had power over sin, it is because God gave you the power. If you have ever had power to persuade others to accept Christ, the power is from God. If you have ever had an answer to a prayer, it is not the power of your prayer but the power of God that chose to answer your prayer, which was according to his will. Whenever God has chosen to use mankind to accomplish something, it is not because he needs their power, but because he grants power to them. This discussion of God’s attributes doesn’t scratch the surface, but I hope it inspires you to get serious about knowing God better as you focus on his marvelous attributes. I’ve prepared a handout to help you. It’s called An Attribute a Day Keeps the Devil Away, and you’ll find it here. Use it to help you develop a good habit of meditating each day on who God is and how much he loves you.