When the Puzzle Seems to be Missing Pieces

If you are like me, you aren’t a fan of changes in direction. I am not a fan of detours. They mess up my plans.

Close your eyes for a minute and picture this. God has been tugging at your heart for some time. You sense Him calling you in some new direction; maybe a new job, a new city, a new relationship, possibly even into ministry. Maybe the “new” is letting go of something. You pray about it, mull it over, seek wise counsel, pray about it some more, weigh all the pros and cons, and listen for God’s small still voice to confirm it. At first you were hesitant, it would mean some big (and scary) changes, but once you finally got your head and heart wrapped around the plan, and you were ready and you jumped in with both feet. You have a nice neat plan all laid out for how it will go; it all fits together like a puzzle with no missing pieces.

But not so fast! Out of the blue, God changes your plan and instead of turning left at the next intersection, He tells you to keep driving and He will tell you when to turn. You say, “Wait a minute God, that’s not what I signed up for. I signed up for (you fill in the blank) and now You are asking me to do something totally different. I’m not sure I really understand.”

Now picture what Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, must have felt like. In Gospel of Matthew we read that he was engaged to a young woman named Mary. One day she comes to him and tells him that she is pregnant, even though she is still a virgin. And not only that, she tells Joseph that this baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph’s head was likely spinning, full of doubt, full of questions. After hearing the news Joseph was making plans to divorce her but soon an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him it was all true and in Matthew 1:22-23 we read this – All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

The story goes on to tell us that “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and he took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And they gave him the name Jesus. (vv. 24-25)

So here we have Joseph with his nice neat plans for marriage and “living happily ever after” turned totally upside down when God first tells Mary, then Joseph, that they will be the parents of the Savior of the world. Talk about a change of plans!

Several years ago, Robyn and I saw our “happily ever after” plans change when God told us that after six years of blood, sweat, and tears, we were to close the church we had uprooted our life to plant. While we didn’t understand then, and aren’t sure even now of the reason, we know that this is all part of God’s perfect plan. Were we sad and disappointed? Of course. Do I feel like I failed? With each passing day less and less so, but yes, feelings of failure still ooze out from time to time. Right now, with current life circumstances, and with my propensity to struggle with self worth issues, I find myself battling those very thoughts. Just being honest.

However, bigger than any of those feelings is our faith – a faith that, despite pieces seemingly missing, trusts God knows where all the pieces fit and that He is putting together a beautiful puzzle, piece by piece by piece, one not missing a single piece!   

How do you respond when God changes your plan, when the puzzle seems to be missing pieces?      

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