God has a plan for all of our lives before we were born. He cherishes life very much.
Rebekah, Manoah, and his wife, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph all knew that God had a plan for each of their children lives before they were born.
Let’s read their stories.
Rebekah’s story,
“Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the Lord about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked. And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other, and your older son will serve your younger son.” And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have twins!” ( Genesis 25:19-24;NLT)
Manoah and his wife’s story,
“Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years. In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.” (Judges 13:1-5;NLT)
Elizabeth’s story,
“While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” (Luke 1:11-17;NLT)
Joseph’s story,
“The Birth of Jesus the Messiah This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:18-2; NLT)
Mary’s story,
“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 1:30-33;NLT)
When we read about Jeremiah, God spoke directly to Jeremiah, telling him of His plan for him.
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5; NLT)
As children of God, we should value life as much as God does. He values us before we are born. We own Him everything whether we acknowledge Him or not. God owns us nothing. He is still God and will always be, forever.
We live in a time where people are looking out for themselves. We can be very selfish. God wants us to look beyond ourselves and care for others. We do not know what God has planned for a solitary life but think of a person you know in history that if they had not have been born, the world would be a different place.
Our stories impact the lives of those around us.
We should not value life any less than God values it.
God values you as much as He values the person yet to be born.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16: NLT)
