I am sure we’ve all had 'this cannot be happening to me’ moments, carefully laid out plans that did not materialize the way we anticipated, news that takes the breath out of us, routines that fall apart.
The Bible tells us that Joseph was caught in one of the black-hole moments that threw him a gut punch. A simple carpenter, engaged to Mary, he would have been planning and dreaming of their life together. Then he receives unexpected news that Mary is pregnant and he knows he is not the father of the unborn child.
Mathew records that Joseph was a righteous man. He did not want to publicly humiliate Mary, the girl he loved. He sought to do the right thing quietly, without any of the usual public disgrace and dishonour. Even as he grappled with his difficult decision, in the midst of the anxiety and the tears and the fears, something unbelievable happens.
“An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” (Mathew 1:20)
Into that darkness of uncertainty- where confusion played havoc, where hopes lay shattered, where Joseph felt he was sinking in the quicksand of despair and misery, God offered a glimmer of hope, a different narrative.
What was considered a scandal was actually a miracle in the making. What looked like a problem was a promise coming to pass. The Child Mary carried in her womb was the answer the world awaited - the promised Saviour, whose birth and hometown was foretold centuries ago. The angel instructs Joseph on what to call the child—the name that was decided in the heavens. Jesus—“He will save his people from their sins.”
Joseph’s implicit obedience is one of the quiet wonders of the Christmas story. Scripture tells us very little about him; in fact, not a single spoken word of his is recorded in the Scriptures. Yet his unfaltering faith and reverent obedience helped change the course of human history.
When God redirected his plans, Joseph was willing to follow through with God’s sovereign plan. He set aside his fears, his reputation, his preferences, and the life he had chalked out. When God spoke, Joseph responded with a heart that trusted more than it understood or fathomed. He did as the angel of the Lord commanded. No second guessing. No arguing. No weighing options. No seeking anyone else’s counsel. Just plain, simple obedience.
Joseph received Mary with quiet resolve.
He welcomed the Wonder she carried within her.
He accepted the assignment of being the earthly father to the divine Son.
Joseph believed God with a quiet, courageous faith.
His obedience became the soil in which the Christmas story took root.
But that kind of obedience is not easy. It may require us to let go of our plans and let God direct us down a path we may not have willingly chosen. But it is in these acts of faithfulness that God often performs His greatest work. The world would count it as foolishness but heaven rejoices.
We may not have angels breaking through our night skies or light breaking forth into our uncertainty. Yet through the centuries, His small still voice has stirred up the hearts of the ordinary, willing men and women and set them on course to change destinies and the world. Like Joseph, we discover that when we obey—quietly, humbly, faithfully—even when fear grips our hearts and reason claws at our faith, God writes stories far greater than the ones we could have written for ourselves.
So this Christmas season, may we remember: miracles happen when we say yes to God. A Joseph like obedience opens the way for His wondrous works, turning ordinary lives into instruments of His extraordinary plan.
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Brilliant 👍🏻