And you know what? Thank goodness that’s the case! …because even though we think we know what’s best for ourselves, we often don’t. But God does. And even though we might think it would be nice to have a little preview of what’s coming down the pipe, it might not be as helpful as we imagine. 

For example, as I think over my 2024, if God had sat me down on Jan. 1, 2024, and told me everything that would happen during the next 12 months, I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted. My 2024 was full of abundance and blessing, but it also included some unexpected and devastating loss. If God had told me on Jan. 1 that I’d lose three family members before the year ended, I may have spent the entire year worried, anxious and prematurely mourning. God knows just how much of His plan to reveal and when to reveal it. And although it seems like it might be nice to have a heads up on everything, I think God’s divinely planned progressive revelations are worth our gratitude and praise.

I was reminded of this when I read through the Christmas story yet again this past holiday season. Sure, it’s the same story every time I read it, but I’m not the same every time I read it. This time, I thought so much about Mary. God pointed out to me that He was so gracious to reveal the truth about His plan for Jesus bit by bit as she was able to receive it. Follow along with me through the Christmas story as the gospel of Luke tells it, and check out these pieces of God’s plan for Jesus and his earthly mother that He revealed to Mary little by little:

You will give birth to a boy, Jesus, and He will be the Son of God. Through an angel messenger, God so graciously eased Mary into the idea of her new life as a mother. Well, as much as you can ease a person into a pregnancy by the Holy Spirit, anyway. Mary was told that her son would reign forever in a neverending kingdom, and He would be the Son or God.

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. -Luke 1:30-35

He will be a personal Lord to those who choose to follow Him. Next, Mary learned that her child would not just be a distant ruling authority, He would be Lord to each person who believes in Him. She learned this through Elizabeth, her relative who was pregnant with John the Baptist, who would prepare the way for Jesus. When Elizabeth greeted Mary as she arrived for a visit, her words revealed that Jesus would not just be ruler of the many, He would Lord to the one.

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? -Luke 1:29-43

People will be drawn to Him and directed toward Him. After Mary gave birth, shepherds who had been visited by angels came to find baby Jesus. As I think about their visit, I imagine it was maybe the first time Mary realized the extent to which other people were interested in her child, other people cared about His existence, and other people would gravitate to Him in curiosity and wonder. 

So [the shepherds] hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. -Luke 2:16-19

He would bring salvation not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. The Jewish people were awaiting a savior to deliver them from their difficulties when Jesus was born. (Although they would eventually learn that Jesus did not come to deliver a military defeat as they were probably hoping.) To even consider that this savior might also be for non-Jews, or Gentiles, was a mind-boggling idea at the time. When Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple for purification rites as required by the law, a righteous and devout man named Simeon got to hold Him. Simeon had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Messiah. Simeon was moved by the Spirit to go to the temple courts right when Mary and Joseph were there with Jesus, and he took Jesus in his arms and spoke prophetic words over him. Through Simeon, Mary learned just a little bit more about her young son.

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. -Luke 2:29-33

Jesus had a deep understanding of the Scripture and was intentionally obedient to both His earthly parents and His heavenly Father. When Jesus and His parents were traveling home from celebrating Passover in Jerusalem, Jesus stayed behind without His parents realizing where He was. Eventually, they found Him at the temple carrying on conversations with Jerusalem’s temple leaders that left those listening amazed by His understanding. When Mary and Joseph asked Him about the incident, Jesus indicated to them that they could have assumed He would be in His Father’s house. But even though He was the Son of God, He remained obedient to Mary and Joseph, as well. Can you imagine being in Mary’s shoes and trying to wrap your mind around all of this?

After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. -Luke 2:46-51

Each of the bold statements above was revealed to Mary over the course of time. She learned more and more about her son as the days and years passed by. Remember that very first angel who came and told her she would give birth to a son? What if that very first message had included ALL of the bold statements?! If that was the case, she would have encountered an angel (WHOA!) and been told ALL of this on the same day:

You will give birth to a boy, Jesus, and He will be the Son of God. He will be a personal Lord to those who choose to follow Him. People will be drawn to Him and directed toward Him. He will bring salvation not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. Jesus will have a deep understanding of the Scripture and be intentionally obedient to His earthly parents and His heavenly Father, as well.

I don’t know about you, but as I consider Mary’s story, I’d much rather have been given bite-sized chunks than hear everything straight from the outset. Do you agree? This is how God operates with you and me, His children. He tells us what we need to know, when we need to know it. He reveals things to us little by little, according to what we are ready to hear and understand. So the next time you find yourself wishing God would just show you exactly how your project, your job search, your month or your year is going to pan out, stop… take a deep breath… and remember that He is trustworthy. He knows what He is doing. He is always working with your very best in mind! He knows what you can handle and when you can handle it. He will prepare you for what is coming, and He will help you receive it when it does. Praise God for His perfect and infinite wisdom!