Imagine being Joseph. His fiancee runs off to visit her cousin. She’s gone for three months. And when she returns, she breaks his heart. Oh. She isn’t dumping him. She tells him she’s pregnant. Makes a man wonder what his girl has been doing for those three months she was visiting her so-called cousin. He knows without a doubt that the baby isn’t his. Because they haven’t.
She says the baby’s father is God. How is a man supposed to believe that? Can he trust her? After all, they’re engaged. Not married. Should he just break up with her and move on? Even though they aren’t married, breaking up would still signal a divorce. Because he knew. He knew if he agreed to marry her, the people of their village would spread the rumors. Oh. That couple. They didn’t wait until they married. But they can’t prove they were waiting. Because now there is a baby on the way.
What if God asked the impossible of you? Would you be willing? If God asks you to move out of your comfort zone, would you? How far out of your comfort zone are you willing to go, even if it is God who’s doing the asking?
The baby wasn’t his. He knew it. She knew it. Did everyone else know it? He wanted to divorce her. Quietly. Not make more of a public spectacle of her than she already was. He could. You know.
But the dream was so real. The angel was right there. Marry her. He said. She speaks the truth. She has been faithful. This child is God’s. Name him Jesus. Joseph actually heard from God in a dream. So he did it. He married her. Knowing what everyone would say.
What is impossible with man is possible with God. Luke 18:27
This man. Joseph. His betrothed was carrying the Son of God. How was he to be a father to God? He wasn’t qualified. He was just a carpenter. How could he do this? Would this child want to become a carpenter? If he and Mary were fortunate enough to have their own sons, how would they compare? Would others be able to tell the difference between God’s son and Joseph’s sons?
How is one to be faithful when the world says to run the other way?
Joseph didn’t know God’s plan. Joseph didn’t know that God’s Son was to be born in the lineage of King David. Joseph was in that lineage. God’s plan worked out perfectly. No. Joseph wasn’t the biological father, but he fulfilled the plan God had laid out for him.
Oh. It wasn’t Joseph’s place to be in the spotlight. He didn’t have the leading role. But support roles provide stability and depth for the leading role. It wasn’t his birth that was announced to the shepherds. It wasn’t his death on the cross. His role may seem small, but really. His role was father. Role model. Family leader. Bread winner. Not much is written about him, but words aren’t enough. He did everything by being faithful to God’s plan. What seemed impossible for him was made possible through God’s purpose and leading.
Sure. Joseph doubted at first. He even considered saying no. But when that angel appeared in the dream, he realized this was God at work. God was fulfilling the promise and prophesies that had been passed down for so long. And Joseph was part of the plan. God was using Joseph to raise this God child.
Oh. My role may not be as leader. I may be the supporting role in a much bigger plan. There are times I don’t feel worthy of the role I’m playing in God’s plan. There are times I would choose to step aside. But God who calls is also faithful. If he calls, he equips. And in that equipping and following the plan, I find that God is so much more than a word so often used in vain by many. God makes the impossible possible. All I must do is believe and trust. And obey.
Mercy for the Day 