"So different from our dreams,
how can this be the plan?
So different from our dreams,
is this the Father's hand?
It's hard to see the reason for the manger and the hay,
but we thank You, God in heaven,
for Your provision for this day."
Song from “Luke’s Christmas” Musical
Composers – Noel and Ruth Wilson
When Mary and Joseph laid Baby Jesus in a manger of hay, it was certainly NOT what they expected! And when I sang their song in 1977, I had no idea my own dreams would also play out differently than expected.
Twenty-six years later, Ron and I were offered a house in a city we didn’t want to live. But the words to this song broke into my mind as clear as day, “So different from our dreams…is this the Father’s hand?”
The same question surfaced when Ron and I moved to India. Our dream was to plant an international church like the one we pastored in Nairobi, where hundreds of Indian people had met Jesus. However, after years of knocking on doors to obtain the proper visa, the final answer was NO. Again, we asked, “Is this the Father’s hand?" Yes, HE had opened a different door instead, one that reached Indian people we never expected!
Mangers and hay have been a part of my life. But every manger has new lessons, and this one is most important: I don’t have to understand the manger to thank God for every piece of straw He provides FOR the manger.
So, when it’s hard to see any reason for the manger and hay in your life, remember this—
GOD proved He can birth miracles in mangers!
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