When God Doesn't Get the Memo
7/26/20262 min read
Life and culture are constantly telling us to build the vision board, set the goals, manifest the future and make sure the five-year plan is laminated and color-coded. But what do you do when God doesn't get the memo about the timeline you prayed over, planned for and expected Him to bless?
In Luke 1:26-38, Mary was a young woman who likely had her future figured out. She was betrothed to Joseph and preparing for a life that probably looked ordinary by all appearances. Then Gabriel showed up with an announcement that completely rearranged every aspect of her life. She was going to give birth to the Son of God. And let’s be honest. That’s not exactly the kind of thing you imagine for your vision board.
What I love about this passage is that Mary's first response was not immediate celebration. Scripture says she was "greatly troubled" by the angel's words (Luke 1:29) and she asked a very real question: "How will this be?" Contrary to what we may have been taught, her question isn’t rebellion or a lack of faith. It was the honest response of someone trying to understand how God’s announcement fit with her reality. And isn’t that us?
Maybe today you're holding a plan that is no longer unfolding the way you expected. A career path changed. A relationship ended. A diagnosis appeared. A door closed. The timeline shifted. Now you’re trying to figure out what faith looks like when life does not match the picture you had in mind.
Mary's story reminds us that God's purpose is not limited by our expectations. What feels like a disruption may actually be the beginning of something far greater than anything you could ever put on your vision board.
The problem is many of us struggle to release the illusion that our plans are better than His. We say we want His will, but only if it does not inconvenience our comfort, disrupt our timeline, or require surrender. We want God to bless the future we designed instead of stepping into the one He designed for us. But beloved I’m here to tell you that the interruption is often the assignment so while we’re praying, "Lord, get me back on track," God is saying, "This is the track."
Mary’s plans were completely rearranged by God’s purpose. The future she expected was replaced by a calling she never could have imagined. So the question is not simply, “Can I trust God when He gives me the life I wanted?” The deeper question is, “Can I trust God when He changes the life I planned?”