Peace Has a Plan: How to Trust God’s Promises

You’re probably familiar with the Christmas story, but have you ever considered that maybe you’re too familiar with it? Maybe you’ve heard it so many times that it can start to feel soft, sentimental, and even predictable. But when you slow down and really look at it, you realize that this story isn’t a collection of random events.

It’s intentional.

It’s detailed.

It’s steady.

Luke tells us a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, forcing everyone to return to their hometown to be registered. For Joseph and Mary, that meant an 80-mile journey, on foot and by donkey, with Mary nine months pregnant.

This was anything but a fun roadtrip. No hotel reservations, no drive-thru meals, and no comfort. Yet what felt like disruption was actually direction.


God is Still in Control, Even When Life Feels Chaotic
More than 600 years earlier, God had already declared that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. So when Rome forced Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem, God wasn’t scrambling. He was executing a plan already in motion.

Even more incredible, the Roman Empire unintentionally set the stage for the gospel to spread. They built roads. They unified language. They created systems that would later carry the message of Jesus to the world.

This is comforting for anyone who feels overwhelmed right now.

God doesn’t need perfect conditions to accomplish His will. He still works through messy systems and inconvenient detours to bring salvation to the world.

If He can do all of that with those who don’t even acknowledge him, He can use what you’re walking through right now.


God Keeps His Promises — Down to the Details
Jesus wasn’t just born in the right place. He was born into the right family.

Matthew traces Joseph’s lineage back to King David. Luke does the same through Mary. Both lines matter. Both confirm the same truth: God keeps His word exactly as He promise The Messiah would come from David’s line (Isaiah 9:6).

This wasn’t coincidence. This was a covenant promise fulfilled.

Rest assured, when God speaks something over your life, He doesn’t forget it. Time doesn’t weaken His promises. Delays don’t cancel them. Obstacles don’t intimidate Him.

If He said it, He will do it.


Peace Has a Name
When the angels appeared to the shepherds, they announced a Savior.

“A Savior has been born…Christ the Lord.” - Luke 2:11

Jesus the Savior. Deliverer. Messiah. Authority. Prince of Peace.

Isaiah tells us that the government would rest on His shoulders, not ours. That means the weight you’ve been carrying was never meant to sit on you in the first place.

Peace isn’t the absence of problems. It’s the presence of Jesus in the middle of them. In every storm you’re facing, you can speak peace — not because the storm is small, but because Jesus is greater.


Don’t Miss the Star
A star appeared, and wise men from the East noticed. What’s interesting is who didn’t notice — the people of Jerusalem and King Herod. Some were too distracted by struggle. Others were too comfortable in power.

Distraction can cause us to miss divine direction.

The wise men invested time, resources, intellect, and faith to follow that star. Scripture tells us something simple but profound: Jesus is revealed to those who seek Him. (Matthew 2:1-11)

When the wise men finally arrived, they didn’t come empty-handed. They brought their treasures: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.


The Gift Jesus Wants
The greatest gift you can give Jesus isn’t perfection. It’s honesty.

Your faith and your fear.

Your best and your broken.

Your worship and your worry.

The Christmas story: the decree, the journey, the child, the star, all serve as road signs that points us to one truth: Peace. God’s got you.

He can be trusted with what you don’t understand right now, so give him your anxious heart and rest in His peace.