Joseph, to whom [Mary] 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.”
Matthew 1:19-20 NLT
The incarnation is a remarkable event. I remember Jayne’s shock on receiving a phone call from her daughter, recently arrived at university. The call ran along the lines of: “Mummy, I have something to tell you. I think you’d better be sitting down.” At this point Jayne’s mind was computing a whole series of scenarios, none of them positive! “Keep calm,” she kept telling herself. Then she heard her daughter say, “I’ve bought myself a puppy.” All anxieties drained away and before she could help herself, Jayne said, “Oh! That’s all right.” Strategically managed, or simply the natural product of a need to communicate some information, we shall never know.
In more testing circumstances, Joseph has to face the reality that his fiancé is pregnant. He knows it is not by him. A respectable man, he does not want to embarrass Mary and create a fuss. So he plans quietly to disengage himself and move on with life. That is before the intervention of an angel. Now he has a decision to make.
Like Joseph, consider your circumstances and what God requires of you. This is your call and your walk of faith. Through following its path you’ll have a story to tell of the presence of God in your life, a story that will intrigue and entrance the very many people you meet along its many twists and turns.
QUESTION
To what extent do you think Jesus learned his meekness and mildness from Joseph?
PRAYER
May I hear and obey you, whether you guide me quietly or miraculously; through a still small inner voice, circumstance, scripture, the wisdom of godly friends or a noisy and dramatic intervention.