Day 1 || Surrender — Click Here
Day 2 || Surrender — Click Here
18 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. 19 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. 20 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. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. || Matthew 1:18-25 (NLT)
Think of a time when someone told you something you simply didn’t believe. They swore it was true. But for whatever reason, you couldn’t bring yourself to believe him or her. Maybe you were on the other end. Have you ever tried to convince someone of something only to be told you weren’t telling the truth?
Think about Joseph. Joseph and Mary were to be married, but Mary “was found to be with child.” Now, Matthew lets us know that it was the Holy Spirit’s work. But, look at Joseph’s response: He was going to break off the marriage.
Mary told Joseph about the angel, but for whatever reason, Joseph didn’t seem willing to believe her. (Or maybe he did, but was unwilling to face the ridicule of his friends and neighbors.) Matthew tells us that Joseph was a good man. But who could have blamed him for wanting out of the marriage? Imagine if your fiancé told you she was pregnant with God’s baby. Would you be quick to believe her?
Thankfully, God wasn’t done with Joseph. He sent an angel to tell Joseph that Mary was telling the truth. It must have been bittersweet for Joseph. He must have felt excited to learn what was happening, but maybe a twinge of shame that he didn’t stick with Mary in the first place.
The coolest thing about Joseph? His willingness to trust that God would make it all work out. Joseph heard the angel’s message and essentially said, “OK. I’m in. I don’t understand all this, but I’ll trust God.” As Christ-followers, we’re called to have the same trust in God. We might not always understand where God is leading us. But like Joseph, we can trust that God is in control.
God knows where He’s taking us. And that’s all that matters.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT…
- Do you know exactly what God has in store for you in the near future? What college you’ll attend? Who you’ll marry, etc.? (Of course not.)
- How does trust in God help you navigate the many decisions about your future you’re facing or will be facing soon?
- What does your level of trust in God say about how well you know Him? What can you do to grow on your trust in God?
Trent Fugitt 
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