Five Things We Will Learn
- How God often leads us through circumstances we would never have chosen.
- Why divine timing rarely looks “perfect” from a human perspective.
- How closed doors, government actions, and unexpected pressures can be God’s direction.
- How easily we misread God’s plan when it looks messy or out of control.
- Why learning to discern the Shepherd’s voice keeps us from putting God “in a box.”
WHEN GOD LEADS THROUGH WHAT DOESN’T LOOK HOLY AT ALL
Luke 2:6–7 (NIV) tells us:
“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.”
Not before they arrived.
Not after ideal conditions appeared.
Not when everything felt orderly or peaceful.
While they were there — right in the middle of government orders, travel demands, closed doors, and inconvenience — Jesus was born.
We often assume that if God is leading, everything will look smooth and perfectly timed. But the birth of Jesus shows us that God’s leading is often wrapped in circumstances that look nothing like what we expected.
THEY ARRIVED IN BETHHEM BECAUSE OF A GOVERNMENT ORDER
Mary and Joseph weren’t traveling because they felt led.
They weren’t seeking a prophetic fulfillment.
They weren’t choosing a holy moment.
They were responding to a Roman census — a government mandate (Luke 2:1).
Yet this disruption was the very instrument God used to position them exactly where Jesus needed to be born.
Because:
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)
God may reveal parts of His plan, but He rarely reveals all of it at once.
NO ROOM AT THE INN—AND STILL IN GOD’S WILL
When Mary went into labor in Bethlehem, Joseph searched for a place — any place — to shield them from the night air. But the inns were full. The doors were closed. Nothing looked like divine provision (Luke 2:7).
Most would conclude:
“We missed God.”
“This can’t be His will.”
“Everything is going wrong.”
Yet heaven saw something different.
Mary and Joseph did know they carried the Son of God (Luke 1:35).
They knew His name must be Jesus (Matthew 1:21).
They knew He was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
But they had no idea why the manger was necessary.
To them, it looked like a desperate compromise — a place they “had no choice but to use.”
It would be years before they understood its meaning.
LOOKING BACK: WHY THE MANGER MATTERED
Decades later, when Jesus approached the Jordan River, John the Baptist lifted his voice and declared:
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
Only then would the pieces begin to make sense.
Because:
Lambs are born where animals are kept.
Lambs are placed in feeding troughs.
Lambs enter the world in humble, low places.
Mary and Joseph didn’t know they were giving birth to the Lamb of God — not yet.
Not until John identified Him.
Only then could they look back and realize:
The manger was not a mistake.
The manger was the message.
The Lamb of God was born where lambs are born.
What felt like chaos was divine precision.
What looked like a setback was prophecy unfolding.
What seemed like Plan B was always God’s Plan A.
GOD IS NOT LIMITED TO THE PATHS WE APPROVE
We often impose limits on how God can lead:
“He wouldn’t use government orders…”
“He wouldn’t close doors…”
“He wouldn’t lead through discomfort…”
“He only speaks to me in one way…”
But Scripture reveals:
He created all things (Colossians 1:16).
He holds all things together (Colossians 1:17).
He directs the heart of kings (Proverbs 21:1).
His sheep know His voice (John 10:27).
God leads through:
• People
• Circumstances
• Closed doors
• Timelines not our own
• Unexpected places
• Government actions
• Even mangers
He is always speaking — always guiding — even when we don’t understand the full picture yet.
THE CALL OF CHRISTMAS: TRUST GOD’S LEADING IN THE MESSY MIDDLE
Christmas invites us to see that:
• God’s plan is never fragile.
• His timing is never off.
• His purpose is never hindered by imperfect circumstances.
• He often reveals His plan in layers — sometimes years later.
Mary and Joseph followed what they understood.
They didn’t know Jesus was the Lamb.
They didn’t know why He had to be born in a manger.
But they trusted.
They obeyed.
And God’s purpose prevailed.
This is what we continue to uncover in The Battle for Truth: Navigating the Dangers of Deception in the Last Days—that Jesus cannot be fully understood apart from His revelation in Scripture as the Lamb of God. Heaven sees Him clearly, even when His followers on earth struggle to understand what God is doing. Mary saw a crucifixion; heaven saw a coronation. And now the veil is lifted, and we see what she could not yet see.
CLOSING: THE LAMB OF GOD
Just like Mary and Joseph had no idea their beloved Son — Jesus, the Son of God — would one day be crucified, they also had no idea why He had to be born in a manger. To them, both moments must have felt like tragedy. A stable was no place for a child, let alone God’s Son. And the cross? Who could imagine anything more devastating for a mother than watching her firstborn — the One announced by angels, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and promised by God — nailed to a Roman cross (John 19:25–27)?
I am sure Mary cried out more than once, “What is happening? My Son — God’s Son — born just to die? How could this be God’s plan?” Her heart shattered. Her dreams collapsed. Just like the manger looked like everything was going wrong, the crucifixion looked infinitely worse — final, hopeless, senseless.
But what she could not yet see was that God’s plan was unfolding perfectly.
And this is exactly why, throughout our Commands of Jesus series, we emphasize that obedience rarely begins with clarity. Mary and Joseph were fully in God’s will, yet nothing looked the way they expected. In the same way, so many believers today discover that God’s greatest works often begin in the places that feel uncertain, uncomfortable, or far from ideal—places where the question is not “Do I understand?” but “Will I trust Him?”
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” (John 3:16).
Not just to be born — but to die, so sinners could be forgiven, redeemed, and brought near to God.
What looked like tragedy was God’s triumph.
What looked like defeat was heaven’s victory.
And what Mary did not know on that darkest day was that three days later, God would raise her Son from the dead (Matthew 28:5–6).
Only then would the manger make sense.
The cross make sense.
The resurrection make sense.
For the One born among lambs is now the Lamb enthroned forever.
John the Revelator saw Him:
“I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne…” (Revelation 5:6).
He heard heaven worship:
“You are worthy… because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased for God people from every tribe and language and nation.” (Revelation 5:9)
The angels cried:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!” (Revelation 5:12)
All of heaven declared:
“Salvation belongs to our God… and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:10)
The redeemed:
“…washed their robes… in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14)
They overcame:
“by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:11)
Jesus is:
“the Lamb slain from the creation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8)
John saw Him stand in victory on Mount Zion (Revelation 14:1).
He heard the song of Moses and of the Lamb (Revelation 15:3).
He saw the nations rise against Him, yet:
“The Lamb will triumph… because He is Lord of lords and King of kings.” (Revelation 17:14)
He saw:
“the wedding of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7)
and heard the angel say:
“Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:9)
He saw the New Jerusalem, where:
“the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple… and the Lamb is its lamp.” (Revelation 21:22–23)
He saw:
“the river of the water of life… flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” (Revelation 22:1)
And he saw:
“the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:3).
This is the Jesus born in Bethlehem.
This is the Child Mary held.
This is the One laid in the manger.
This is the One lifted up on the cross.
This is the One raised from the dead.
This is the Lamb of God — worthy of all honor, glory, and praise.
May our hearts worship Him as heaven worships Him.
May our lives honor Him as the Lamb slain for our redemption.
And when we think about Christmas, may it draw us into deeper awe of the One who was born to save us — the Lamb who reigns forever.
Worthy is the Lamb.