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The following blog is a summary of a message preached by Pastor Eddie Lawrence.

Watch the Sermon HERE!

Have you ever felt like you're just a nobody from nowhere? Maybe you've wondered if God has forgotten about you or if your current struggles have any meaning. The Christmas story reveals profound truths about how God works through our hardships and uses even the most difficult circumstances to accomplish His purposes.

Your Hardship Has a Purpose in God's Plan

When Caesar Augustus issued a decree requiring everyone to return to their ancestral birthplace for registration, it seemed like terrible timing. Mary was full-term pregnant, and the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was a grueling 90-mile trek through mountainous terrain.

Imagine the hardship: Mary, a young virgin who was already dealing with scandal and whispers about her pregnancy, now had to make this dangerous journey. The final stretch was through notorious territory where robbers would attack travelers. It was steep, treacherous, and the last thing a pregnant woman needed.

God Was Working Behind the Scenes

But here's what's remarkable: 700 years before Caesar made his decree, God had already declared through the prophet Micah that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Caesar thought he was making a decision to increase his tax revenue and boost his pride, but God was actually using this pagan emperor to ensure Joseph and Mary would be exactly where they needed to be when Jesus was born.

The Bible tells us that "the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord" and He can direct it like a river of water wherever He wants it to go. God moved on Caesar's heart to release a decree that would fulfill His prophetic word.

When Your Plans Fall Apart, His Plans Don't

Sometimes you may be going through something that makes no sense. You've prayed and prayed, but this isn't what you had in mind. You might think everything has gone wrong, but it's possible that nothing has gone wrong at all. You could be right in the middle of a divine maneuver that God is orchestrating.

God hasn't abandoned you. Even when we make wrong decisions or others make choices that seem to derail us, it doesn't fool God or throw Him out of sync. He simply reroutes us, just like a GPS system recalculates when you make a wrong turn.

Your Future Is Secure in God's Word

The prophecy in Micah is incredibly specific. Not only did God predict that the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah, but He pinpointed the exact location: Bethlehem. Even more precisely, Micah mentions "O tower of the flock" (Migdal Eder), which was a specific structure in Bethlehem where shepherds watched over their flocks.

The Reliability of Scripture

This prophecy, fulfilled 700 years after it was given, demonstrates the supernatural inspiration of Scripture. It's not just a general prediction about a region - it's like God giving us the actual address where the Messiah would be born.

You can build your life on God's Word because it has proven itself reliable throughout history. When Satan tempted Jesus, our Lord responded with Scripture, saying "It is written." Jesus recognized that those words proceeded from God's mouth, even though they were written by human authors like Moses.

Building on the Rock

Jesus taught that whoever builds their life on His words is like a wise man building on rock. Don't base your life's direction on self-help principles or popular wisdom. While these might be helpful, the course of your life needs to be directed by the inspired information you get from the Bible.

Your Daily Assignment Matters to God

When the angel appeared to announce Jesus' birth, who did God choose to receive this incredible news? Not the religious elite in Jerusalem, but shepherds working the night shift in the fields outside Bethlehem.

Faithfulness in Small Things

These shepherds were simply doing what they did every night - watching over their flocks. It was their daily assignment, nothing glamorous or spectacular. But God met them right where they were, in the middle of their ordinary work.

There's often warfare against your daily assignment. You might think, "I don't like what I do. This isn't what I was meant to do." But what you were meant to do may not come until you're faithful with what's right in front of you.

Don't Despise Small Beginnings

The biblical principle is clear: when you are faithful in little things, more is given. If you'll show God you're responsible and faithful with what you have now, He'll give you more to oversee.

You may not like your current job or situation, but be faithful where you are. Learn to bloom where you're planted. The enemy can always convince you that the grass is greener somewhere else, but contentment and satisfaction come from knowing the Prince of Peace and understanding that every day is a gift from Him.

Your Breakthrough Was Birthed in Bethlehem

The shepherds watching over the flocks near Bethlehem weren't just ordinary shepherds. According to rabbinic tradition, these were Levitical shepherds with a special responsibility: they raised the sacrificial lambs for the temple.

The Perfect Lamb

When a lamb was born, these shepherds would inspect it carefully, looking for one that was unblemished - no spots, bruises, diseases, or deformities. The lambs that passed inspection would be taken to the Migdal Eder (tower of the flock), where the high priest would examine them further.

If a lamb was deemed perfect for sacrifice, it would be wrapped in special cloths (swaddled) to protect it from injury during the journey to Jerusalem. This ensured the lamb would remain unblemished for the altar.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

When the angel told the shepherds they would find a baby "wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger," these men understood the significance. Here was the ultimate sacrificial Lamb - Jesus, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.

John the Baptist later declared, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Scripture tells us Jesus was "the lamb slain from the foundation of the world" - this was God's plan from the beginning.

The New Covenant

When Jesus was crucified, very likely timed with another lamb being offered on the temple altar, God did something supernatural. As Jesus said "It is finished," God tore the temple veil from top to bottom, signifying that the old sacrificial system was complete.

Jesus became both the High Priest and the sacrifice. By His one offering, we are now sanctified forever. This inaugurated a new covenant where we have direct access to God through the blood of Jesus.

Life Application

This week, instead of viewing your current hardships as obstacles, ask God to help you see them as part of His greater plan. Be faithful in your daily assignments, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. Remember that God knows exactly where you are and hasn't forgotten about you.

Trust that your breakthrough, like Jesus' birth, may come through the very circumstances that seem most difficult. God is working behind the scenes, moving hearts and orchestrating events to accomplish His purposes in your life.

Questions for reflection:

  • What current hardship in your life might God be using for a greater purpose?
  • Are you being faithful in the daily assignments God has given you, even if they seem small?
  • How can you build your life more firmly on God's Word rather than on circumstances or popular wisdom?
  • In what ways do you need to trust God's timing and plan rather than your own understanding?