Thank you for tuning in tonight, Wednesday in the Word, when your story breaks before it begins, here on Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church, December the 10th, 2025, the 20th of Kessler, 5785 the Hebrew calendar. Thank you for joining us as we get into the wonderful Word of God, Amen. when your story breaks before it begins. Take your Bibles, if you have your copy of the scriptures, to the book of Matthew, chapter 1, verses 18 down to verse 25. As you're getting ready, I'm glad when your story breaks before it begins. We're so glad that you joined us tonight, and I'm glad that Christmas is a season of light, hope, and celebration, but it's also a season where many hearts carry burdens, questions, and broken places. Whether you come with joy, sorrow, or searching, we pray that you feel the presence of the Lord and the warmth of his people here tonight. As we gather around God's word, we're reminded that Christmas is not just a story of joy, It's a story of God stepping into our mess, our confusion, and our broken beginnings. You are welcome here just as you are, and as we pray that the message tonight brings strength and comfort and renewed hope, because why this sermon is called When Your Story Breaks Before It Begins is the Christmas story in Matthew chapter 1 verses 18 down to verse 25 of the King James Version. It doesn't open with celebration. It doesn't open with a calmness. It opens with a scandal, a broken expectation, a confused man, a dream that seemed destroyed before it even started. Joseph and Mary, they had plans, and they were engaged. Life was moving forward. The future looked bright. Then everything fell apart. Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost and verse 18 that we'll read in a little bit. Joseph's heart was shattered. His story breaks before it begins. And that is where God starts his greatest miracle. And so this message tonight carries with us when the story breaks before it begins, because Joseph's story fell apart before he ever got to live it. And what looked like failure was actually the doorway to God's plan. God often begins his greatest work where our expectations fall apart. And when Joseph reached the end of what he could understand, God stepped in with what only he could accomplish. Many people today feel like their story is broken before it ever truly starts. Before the marriage begin, it breaks. Before the dream gets started, it crumbles. Before the new chapter unfolds, it collapses. And the Christmas story tells us a broken beginning is not a broken purpose. Your story is not over when your plan falls apart. It may be the very moment God begins writing his miracle in your life. Jesus entered a world of confusion and fear and loss. And because he came to redeem broken stories, Joseph's confusion became clarity. His heartbreak became hope. His shattered story became part of God's salvation plan. And that's why this message matters so much to me tonight. Christmas reminds us that God is working even when life doesn't make sense. God is present even when the pages tear. And God's story is greater than our broken beginnings. When your story breaks before it begins, God's story is just getting started tonight. So tune in as we get into the wonderful word of God. God's got something in store for each and every one of us. And so let's get our prayer list out and get ready as we go to prayer and ask the Lord to do what no one else. Have your copy of the scripture ready. And as we get ready to go into it, please come and join us. If you're not already at a church somewhere, Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church, 450 Iron Hill Road, Talesville, Georgia 30178. And so this coming Friday, Taylorsville will be having this parade and our church will be having it. And so please, I want to invite every one of you to come out and be with us as we celebrate the Christmas season with our parade, uh, this coming Friday night. And so let's open up with a time of prayer. Heavenly father, we bow before you asking for your clarity, your comfort, and your courage. Lord, speak through your word, touch our hearts, reshape our broken pieces into something beautiful in your hands. Lord, when our stories break before they begin, remind us that you are the author who never wastes a page and let your spirit settle upon us and preach the message far better than anyone could. Lord, as I look at our prayers, concerns tonight, Abdona and Linda Cox, Danny and Elsie Minter, Barbara Gardner, Happy Ferguson, Johnny Garrett, Matthew Williams, the Knight family, Lisa West, Deborah Jennings, Brockus, Isaiah Bunch, Carolyn Moore, Lord Joey that works with me, LC and Wilma Cornwell, Dorothy Wood, Tammy Lucien, Marsha Boatner, Billy Sprayberry, Rusty Lanier, Thelma Baker, Diana Miller, Mary Sue Cantrell, Hazel Mason, Darren Cantrell, Danielle Williams, Doug Klein, Larry Robinson, Linda Sue Williford, Leda Bailey, Mary Sue Phipps, Calvin and Shea Williams, Johnny Williams, Susan Blanton, and the Marie Reilly family. All of these, we ask, wrap your loving arms around them, and be with them, and be the great physician that they need. And Lord, as we all come together at Bethel Crossroads, that we pray for all of these needs. In Jesus' marvelous mighty name, we pray. Amen. As we look here at Wednesday in the Word and our introduction, life does not always start the way we plan. Sometimes before the first chapter unfolds, the pages tear. And then we see that Matthew opens the story of Christ's birth, not with calm, but with crisis, not with comfort, but with confusion. And yet it is often in the moments when our stories break that God begins writing his greatest miracles. And so man's extremity is God's opportunity. I want to remind you church that when God writes a story, he makes the conflict serve the conclusion. So this message is about when the story we had planned collapses. But the story God planned, it begins. And so Matthew opens the Christmas story, not with angels, not with singing, not with wise men traveling, but with a story that shatters before it ever starts. And Mary and Joseph were engaged. The wedding plans were moving forward. The future looked bright. And then, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost in verse 18. A scandal, a heartbreak. A dream disrupted, a story broken before it ever began. And that is where God's greatest work often starts. Some of the greatest revivals, the greatest testimonies, the greatest ministries, and the greatest salvations begin in places where everything seems lost. And so we look and we see that life doesn't always begin the way that we planned. Matthew opens Christ's birth story with a crisis and not calm. And so it's sad. that when we look at this, we see that God has a plan for us. The unusual events surrounding Jesus' birth not only reveal divine power, but they set the pattern for how God often works in our disrupted stories. Before the miracle is manifested, there's often misunderstanding, mystery, and the breaking of human expectations. And just as Joseph's life was interrupted before it even truly began, Many believers experienced divine disruption just before divine destiny unfolds. Matthew opens the Christmas story. And so when we look and we realize that this is where God's greatest work often begins. And so. So we look and we see that Matthew chapter 1 verses 18 down to verse 25 It's the story of Jesus's birth and when we look at it She was found with child of the Holy Ghost now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise When as his mother Mary was a spouse to Joseph before they came together. She was found with child of the Holy Ghost and Verse 19, that Joseph, her husband being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately. In verse 20, but while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream. saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And verse 21, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, in verse 23, behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. In verse 24, then Joseph being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife. And lastly, verse 25, and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son, and he called his name Jesus Wow verse 18 Shows that the birth of Jesus was completely a work of God Mary had not yet lived with Joseph But she was pregnant miraculously by the Holy Spirit and God stepped into humanity Salvation began with a miracle and when we cannot produce the answer ourselves Listen to me God can What God starts, God sustains. And Jesus' story begins with God doing the impossible. In verse 19, Joseph being a just man, when we look at that, Joseph is heartbroken, he's confused, and he feels betrayed. Still, he chooses kindness instead of anger. A simple understanding, Joseph's character showed before the miracle was even explained. He chose mercy when he could have chosen judgment. And a godly heart does the right thing even when it hurts. This is a reminder to you and me that God often works through people who honor him quietly, not loudly. And so in verse 20, there said, fear not for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And while Joseph is wrestling with confusion, God steps in with clarity. The angel tells him, don't be afraid. This is my work. Mary has not wronged you. And in other words, God explains just enough to steady Joseph's trembling heart. And you know what? God's voice brings peace, not confusion. In verse 21, thou shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Well, this is the heart of the passage. A simplified truth. Jesus came with a mission to save. His name means Savior. He didn't come just to inspire and to teach or improve society. He came to rescue sinners. And this is the gospel in its simplest form. We cannot save ourselves, so God sent Jesus to do what we could never do. In verses 22 and 23, Emmanuel, God with us. Matthew explains that all of this fulfilled prophecy. Jesus's birth was not random. It was promised long before. Emmanuel means God is not distant. God is not silent. God has come near in human flesh. And as many today, we look at Christianity is not man reaching up to God. It's God reaching down to man. And so in verses 24 and 25, Joseph did as the angel had bidden him. Joseph obeyed God immediately and completely, even though he still didn't understand everything. You see, Joseph said yes before he saw how it would turn out. and obedience opened the door for God's plan every single time. True faith trusts God even when the details are unclear. He married Mary, he protected her, and he named the baby Jesus, just as God commanded. And I'm glad that God uses ordinary people who simply obey. Simple, because God began the story of salvation with a miracle, and Joseph faced heartbreak before he understood God's purpose, and God spoke peace into Joseph's confusion. Jesus came to save us from our sins, and his birth fulfilled God's ancient promises. Joseph obeyed faithfully, and God used him in his greatest work. Praise his mighty name. Thank you, Jesus. And so, We look greatest testimony some of the greatest ministries and the greatest salvations begin in places where everything seems lost a startling disruption of verse 18 because we read the story that when his mother Mary was a spouse to Joseph, she was found with child. And so, the miraculous conception serves as a reminder that God's greatest work begins in ways no human could ever orchestrate. What looks impossible becomes the very instrument of redemption itself. Hallelujah. when your story breaks before it begins. Joseph's world collapsed in a single verse. The story that he thought he was writing was not the story God was writing. Amen. And so we look and we realize a young minister prepared to launch his first church. And he had prayed. He fasted. He saved money. He gathered equipment. And the night before the opening service, the building burned to the ground. Everything he owned for ministry was in ashes. He fell to his knees and he said through tears, Lord, My ministry hasn't even begun, and it's already over. And the Holy Spirit began to whisper, what was destroyed was yours. What I will build will be mine. That fire became the birthplace of a revival. And because brokenness is often the doorway to a breakthrough, I'm glad your story may be interrupted by a diagnosis of something, a betrayal, a financial collapse, a broken marriage, a death, a prodigal child, a personal failure. But God sometimes disrupts the story you're writing so he can begin the story that he intends. And so God will often let the bottom fall out of our plans so the foundation of his plan can finally be laid. The breaking is not to destroy you or me, but to redirect us. And so when God interrupts your story, he's not taking something from you. He's making room to give you something even better. Praise God. Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. And just like Joseph, sometimes the story falls apart before the first paragraph is written. And so a disruption that we didn't expect. Joseph wasn't expecting this life, blindsided. But God allows what he intends to redeem. And the disruption is the end. It's the doorway to divine intervention. A startling disruption. Also a disruption that we cannot control. Joseph didn't choose the confusion, but he had to live through it. And some of the hardest moments in our lives are the ones that we cannot fix with reason or strength. And so we see, thirdly, that a disruption God will use, that startling disruption, because the very thing that broke Joseph's heart was the thing God would use to save the entire world. Sometimes God wrecks your plan to rescue your purpose. God disrupted Joseph's life so that he could deliver his son. The young minister whose church burned before it began, as God said, Hey, you know what? Sometimes your story must break so God's story can begin. And so there's a startling disruption. But we see as we looked at the story of the minister and the fire and the brokenness that always often the doorway to the breakthrough. What was destroyed was yours, but what I will build will be mine. No matter what it is, he'll take care of it. Secondly, not only a startling disruption of verse 18, but in verse 19, we see a serious decision. Then Joseph, being a just man, minded to put her away privately. Well, Joseph had to make a hard decision in a very painful moment. He felt betrayed. He felt confused. He felt wounded. But he chose righteousness over revenge. And so I'm glad Joseph chose heaven's perspective when his heart was breaking. And so the predicament is mirrored in our own lives. Often the story God is writing begins by breaking the story that we had planned. Joseph's confusion and heartbreak became a lens through which we understand our own seasons of disruption. Storm-borne decisions reveal more about us than sun-borne ones ever will. Some of you are standing in an emotional rain right now. You're looking at wreckage and you're asking, do I salvage? Hey, do I surrender? Do I hold on or do I let go? And God will whisper to you because we've got to choose that obedience. We've got to choose that righteousness. We've got to choose that trust. And I think God, he'll say, I'm writing something bigger than you can ever imagine. Obedience in the dark is the highest form of faith. Anyone can follow God in the daylight. But faith takes your hand when the night is the darkest. You see, a righteous decision made in a painful moment can alter the entire trajectory of a life. One holy choice can open the windows of heaven. Praise his mighty name. Thank you, Jesus. Joseph had to decide between what he felt and what was right. And so we see a serious decision in verse 19, a decision beyond emotion. Joseph could have acted out of anger or embarrassment, but he didn't. Emotional decisions are almost always destructive ones. And we see secondly that a decision rooted in character. Because Joseph was a just man. Character does not remove the storm, but it guides us through it. And so, thirdly, we look and we see not only a decision beyond emotion and a decision rooted in character, but a decision that heaven honors. Because Joseph chose righteousness, God entrusted him with a divine responsibility. And I'm glad that right decisions create room for divine direction. You know, I'm glad as we go forward. the farmer in the storm. Because, you know, there was an old farmer who had lived on the same piece of land his entire life. That farm wasn't just dirt and fences, it was memories. It was the place where his father had taught him to plow, where he had raised his children, where he had prayed in the stillness of the morning and worshipped under the open sky. And one night, A violent storm rolled across the countryside. The wind howled like a living creature. Lightning split the sky. The rain beat against the house as though trying to break its way in. He could do nothing but sit at the window and he began to pray. Well, When morning came, all of a sudden the storm had passed, but its damage had not. He walked outside slowly and his boots sinking into the wet ground, his heart sank even deeper, his barn, his pride, his labor, his provision had collapsed into a twisted heap of wood and metal. The loft where he stored feed, the stalls where he had cared for his animals, decades of sweat and sacrifice, all lying in ruin. And he stood there, And the rain soaked silence, stared at the wreckage, tears mixed with a drizzle on his weathered face. And in that moment, he faced a decision no farmer ever wants to make. Cling to what was falling apart or trust God with what lay ahead. Listen, neighbors gathered around him, ready to pull him in. pull him into anger and bitterness or despair, but he didn't speak right away. He looked at the broken barn, and then he lifted his eyes toward heaven, and he said quietly, almost to himself, decisions made in storms must be made with heaven in view, not comfort in view, not fear in view, not emotions in view, heaven in view. And so later he testified, the storm revealed what my heart trusted most, The barn was gone, but God was still standing. The storm didn't just test my faith, it defined it. And little by little, board by board, prayer by prayer, God helped him rebuild. And he said the new barn was stronger than the old one. But more importantly, his faith was stronger too. Because storms don't just destroy things. Sometimes they uncover the truth about you and me. Storm made decisions reveal who we really are and what those decisions are made with heaven in view God turns ruins into a testimony praise God glory and so Decisions must be made with heaven in view We look and we see We look and we see the third thing when we see when your story breaks before it begins and Because we look and we see some of the things that God wants to do in our life. First, a startling disruption in verse 18. Secondly, a serious decision in verse 19. But in verses 20 down to verse 23, a sovereign disclosure. Because when we look at it, God sends an angel to Joseph with a revelation. Because God always explains enough to strengthen our faith, though never so much that faith becomes unnecessary. And so Joseph's revelation did not come while he was celebrating, but while he was grieving. God often waits until the soul is quieted, humbled and searching before he sends the whisper that redirects our lives. And like Joseph, we do not receive the whole plan, only enough light to take the next step. And so it's sad that a disruption that we didn't expect and all of the things that go with it as well. And so How sad that when we look and realize what the Lord is wanting to do in all of our lives. Amen. God, as he sends this angel and as he does what no one else can do, I'm glad God speaks in our darkest moments. Amen. But secondly, we also look and we see that God shows enough for the next step because each and every one of us, as we go through life, we don't get all the details. You may be crying, God, why did this happen? And heaven may be saying nothing, but what God will give you is himself. Revelation rarely comes when the sun is shining. It comes in dark nights when the soul cries out for light. And when God speaks, it may be only a whisper, but it can carry you on for years to come. God may not unveil the entire plan, but he will always unveil enough of himself for you to trust his heart. God stepped in when Joseph didn't know what to do. God speaks in the darkest moments. The angel didn't appear when Joseph was celebrating. He appeared when Joseph was hurting. And God reveals himself most clearly when we feel most confused. Secondly, God shows enough for the next step. And Joseph didn't learn everything. He simply learned enough to trust. God rarely shows the whole road, just the next step in his life. And then thirdly, we see that God's presence is greater than explanation. The name Emmanuel, God with us, is the greatest revelation of all. Joseph didn't need all the answers. He needed God's presence. And so I'm glad that when we look, we see the missionary That was and the moonlight just because you can't see beyond the clouds doesn't mean the light is gone. And so years ago, a missionary and his young family served in a remote part of Africa. They labored in a small village where sickness was common, resources were scarce and dangers were constant. But they went with joy, believing God had planted them there to shine the light of Christ in a very dark place. Then tragedy struck twice. First, his little daughter grew ill. He prayed, he fasted, he begged God for healing, but she slipped from his arms into eternity. Before he could recover from that blow, his wife fell sick with the same illness. Day after day, he knelt beside her bed, pleading with heaven for mercy. But again, the grave claimed someone he loved, and now he stood alone, a widower a grieving father, a missionary with two graves behind a hut in foreign soil. His heart was not just broken. It was shattered. With a trembling hands, he booked passage on a ship back home. He had already rehearsed what he would tell his mission board. I'm done. I gave everything and lost everything. And on the first night of the voyage, he went out onto the deck. The sea was black and restless. The clouds were thick as ink, smoldering every star. The wind was cold, cutting through his coat like a knife. He felt as though the sky itself had turned its back on him. He leaned against the railing and he whispered, God, where are you? Why did you let this happen? How could this be your will? No answer came. Just the groaning of the ocean beneath him. Minutes passed, then an hour. His tears fell into the silent waves and then quietly, almost unnoticed at first, the wind shifted. The clouds overhead began to drift apart. A single beam of moonlight broke through the darkness. Then another until the deck was bathed in soft silver light and the missionary's breath caught in his throat. The Holy Spirit whispered into the deepest part of his soul. Just because you can't see beyond the clouds doesn't mean the light is gone. He didn't receive all the answers he wanted. God didn't explain the pain. God didn't erase the grief. But something better happened. God revealed his presence. And years later, the missionary testified that night God didn't clear every cloud. He simply showed me that his life had never left. I learned that when I couldn't trace his hand, I could still trust his heart. And he returned to the mission field, not because the road became easier, but because he realized the guide had never left the road. And so when God doesn't give an explanation, he gives himself. His presence is enough light for the next step. The clouds may have a view, but they cannot extinguish the light. And so. Well, we see that as all of us, when we go through the life today, a starling disruption of verse 18. a disruption that we didn't expect, a disruption that we could not control, and a disruption God will use. Also, secondly, a serious decision in verse 19, a decision beyond emotion, a decision rooted in character, and a decision that heaven honors. Thirdly, a sovereign disclosure in verses 20 down to verse 23 that God speaks in our darkest moments. God shows enough for the next step, and God's presence is greater than the explanation. But lastly, a steadfast determination in verses 24 and 25 We look and we realize that Joseph obeyed even when he was misunderstood, even when gossiped about, even when it cost him. The fulfillment of prophecy reminds us that long seasons of waiting did not mean God has been inactive. And so what Joseph saw was as a crisis heaven saw as a completion. God's always further ahead in his story than we are in hours. And so. I'm glad that each and every one of us, a pastor felt called to a small rural church and everything in him wanted the city, the crowds, the platform, the opportunity. But God said, go to this little place. He obeyed quietly, humbly, faithfully. And years later, he discovered Billy Graham had been saved in that very community community years earlier. And the pastor said, I learned that obedience is never small when it fits into God's big plan. You may never know what your obedience will impact. The child that you raise, the class that you teach, the person you witness to, the prayer that you pray, the tears that you shed, the gift that you give, and the ministry you serve in. Joseph didn't preach a sermon, write a book, or work a miracle. He simply obeyed. God uses obedience, obedient nobodies, more than famous somebody. And the greatest work that he's ever done came through quiet people who simply said, yes, Lord, yes. And the road of obedience is rarely easy, but it is always fruitful. Heaven marks steps that we do not see. So Joseph obeyed when it didn't make sense and determination to obey immediately. Then Joseph being raised from sleep, did as the angel had bidden him. Delayed obedience is disobedience. Joseph didn't argue, he acted. And so determination to obey immediately, but also determination to walk an unpopular road because Joseph chose a path that made him misunderstood by family, neighbors, and culture. Obedience is rarely convenient, but it is always victorious. And thirdly, determination that changed history. Joseph, yes, helped bring the Savior into the world. Your obedience may affect generations to come. The pastor who obeyed God went to a small royal church and he learned Billy Graham had been saved in that community. No obedience is small when God is the one directing it. And so I'm glad when we look and realize that Joseph obedience wasn't public, it wasn't loud, it wasn't dramatic, it was quiet, it was immediate and costly. And I'm glad heaven writes history with the ink of human obedience. His yes became the doorway for God's son to enter the world. And I'm glad that as we look, Joseph's emotional turmoil becomes the perfect backdrop for all of this. God begins his greatest miracle in the moments where our human plans collapse. And so I hope and pray that each time that when we look and realize as I get ready to close out And as the pastor of the Royal Church, noble obedience is small when God directs it. Small places can shape great destiny. I preached so far back out in the back hills and the mountains that you had to stovepipe the light in, but God blessed. And so, as I close, when your story breaks before it begins, just as the sculpture reveals the line by removing what didn't belong, God's disruptions remove what cannot remain if his purpose is to be fulfilled. Joseph's story teaches us that broken beginnings are not abandoned beginnings, they are anointed beginnings. And so, there was once a sculptor known across the land for creating breathtaking works of art. Statues so lifelike that people swore they could feel them breathe. Among all of his creations, none was more famous than a massive, majestic lion carved from a single block of pure white marble. Its eyes seemed to hold fire. Its muscles rippled with strength. It stood as if ready to spring into life. But one day, an admirer asked him a very simple question. Asked the sculptor this, how did you take a cold, lifeless block of stone and turn it into that? How did you carve a lion so real that it looks like it could roar? And the sculptural smiled, weathered, wise and gentle and said, I did carve the line. The line was already inside the stone. I simply chipped away everything that wasn't line. And so those words carry a deeper truth in art. They carry the heartbeat of God. Because sometimes the dreams we cling to, the plans we write, the pieces we try to hold together, are not the masterpiece God is creating. Sometimes the very things that we think are necessary he knows are only marble, things that must be removed before the line of his purpose can fully emerge. And often the chisel he uses is pain, a broken relationship, a shattered expectation, an unexpected diagnosis, a door that slams shut, a heartbreak that knocks the breath out of us, a story that breaks before it begins. We cry out, God, why are you breaking me? But heaven begins to whisper, I'm not breaking you. I'm shaping you. I'm removing you. And so what looks like destruction is often divine construction. The sculpture knows the marble must fall away piece by piece, strike by strike before the line can stand in all its glory. And God knows exactly which piece of our lives must fall. Which dreams must change? Which plans must be surrendered? And so that his greater purpose can be revealed. Broken pieces on the floor are not the end. They're the evidence that God's chisel is at work. One day you're going to stand back and see the pain had purpose and the breaking had direction. The cuts were shaping you, not running you. And like the sculpture, you will say, God wasn't destroying me. He was removing everything that wasn't who he created me to be. And so you shattered as we look. God's shaping what you cannot see yet. And what he reveals will be stronger, purer and more beautiful than anything that you could have ever carved for yourself. You see, your story isn't over. Your heartbreak is at the last chapter. Your failure is at final and your sin is at the end. If you reject God's son, listen to me, your story ends in darkness and judgment. If you come to Christ, your story begins in grace and it ends in glory. Joseph accepted Jesus into his story. You tonight must accept Jesus into yours. He came to save his people from their sins. And tonight, heaven is saying to you and me, let me rewrite your story. Let me redeem what's broken. Let me restore what the enemy stole. Let me begin what you cannot finish. And I'm glad that when we do, we realize that broken starts do not mean broken stories. And God is shaping what you cannot see. And your shattered pages are God's canvas. Praise God as we appeal God's appeal. Your story's not over. We come to Christ and let him rewrite our story. And as I close out tonight in prayer, I hope and pray that you realize that your story isn't over yet. Your brokenness isn't final. Your beginning may be shattered, but God's the author and he never wastes a page. No, he doesn't. And so each and every one of us as we go through life today. Lord, thank you for reminding us that that broken beginnings do not mean broken purposes. Help us trust you when our story breaks before it begins. Give us faith like Joseph. Humility to surrender our plans. Courage to walk by faith when the road is unclear. Heal the brokenhearted. Restore what was lost. Save the sinner and strengthen the saint. Lord, I pray that you'll rewrite every shattered page with your grace. Lord, bring revival to Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church. Let it begin in our heart and every heart. And all that we do, we give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you so much for tuning us in as we get ready to go our separate ways. I hope God blesses you as well. May God bless you when your story breaks before it begins. May God bless you.