INTRODUCTION

AN ANGEL APPEARS TO JOSEPH

Bible Point:

Trust God’s plans.

Key Verse:

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Big Picture:

Discern God’s good plans for your life and grow in trusting God as you put those plans into action.

An Angel Appears to Joseph

Isaiah 7:13-14 | Matthew 1:18-25

You’re in a stage of life where you’re not just a kid anymore—you’re starting to move toward being a teenager. That means you don’t always want to just do something because an adult says so. You want to know the why and the how come. That’s a good thing! Asking questions helps you grow and learn. This week, you’ll see that even when life feels confusing, God’s plans are always good and can always be trusted.

PLANTING THE SEED

Joseph was just an ordinary guy, living an ordinary life. He was making plans for his life and had even decided to get married. He was all set to marry a young woman named Mary when his life took an extraordinary turn. First, he found out that Mary was pregnant—not good! Not wanting to cause Mary any more shame than was necessary, Joseph decided to divorce her quietly. But right after he made that plan, something really extraordinary happened! An angel of the Lord visited Joseph in a dream and told him not to be afraid to marry Mary because the child she was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit! (Wow! That’s big news! And how brave of Mary to follow God’s plan in this moment, too!) Then the angel went on to say that the child would be a boy and that Joseph and Mary were to name him Jesus because he would save his people from their sins. The Bible also says that the birth of Jesus would fulfill what God had said through the prophets: that a virgin would give birth to a son and he would be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” (Isaiah 7:13–14; Matthew 1:18–25)

• How did Joseph and Mary show trust in God?

• When has God totally changed the plans you had for your life?

• What does it mean to you to know that Jesus is “God with us”?

FAMILY FUN

Work together to create a family diary. Use a simple school notebook with divided sections. In the diary, write the plans you have as a family and the plans each family member has individually. For example, one section of the notebook could be for family plans, such as “We plan to buy a new house in January” or “We’re going to Grandma’s for Christmas.” Then let each family member pick a section of the notebook to write individual plans. At the end of the week, go back and read the plans you had made, discuss together how God was working in your lives, how those plans may have changed, and how you can see that God’s plans were better than the plans you had made.

READY, SET, GROW!

Trust God's plan this week:

• WHAT are you trusting God for right now? Write down your prayer, pray it every night, and add to it as you discover where God’s leading you each day.

• STILL trying to figure out what God’s plan is for you right now? Talk to a trusted adult or friend, and ask how they see God working in your life right now—and what God might be trying to tell you.

• EACH morning, reflect on a way that God’s plans have brought goodness and love into your life. Say a prayer of thanks!