Can you imagine Joseph's situation when he discovered his fiancé, Mary, was pregnant? Everything he planned for his life had changed. From an outsider's perspective, it appeared that Joseph had been betrayed. Joseph could have given up hope and trust in God. What would you have done in his place? Scripture teaches that Joseph was honorable, and God had a plan greater than Joseph could have dreamed.
Matthew 1 gives us Joseph's perspective of Jesus' birth announcement. He was engaged to Mary when he found out that she was pregnant. Matthew tells us that Mary was a virgin when she became pregnant, and "she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit" (verse 18). Joseph may not have believed Mary, however. After all, not many people would have believed Mary that she was pregnant by a miracle of the Holy Spirit. Trying to make sense of this situation, Joseph "was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly" (verse 19). It appears that he did not want to marry Mary anymore. Perhaps he thought she had broken her promise to him. Everything changed when an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and said, "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (verses 20-21). This message was everything Joseph needed to trust God. He did precisely what the angel told him to do and "took Mary as His wife" (verse 24). Why did Joseph do this? He trusted God. He believed that God's plan was greater than his own. As a result, he played a role in helping to raise the Savior of the world.
Indeed, Joseph's obedience to God was an act of faith. In faith, he married Mary and helped her to raise Jesus. He, in essence, adopted Jesus as an earthly father. It is this same faith that we are called to exhibit. We must trust God's plan when we feel forgotten or let down. He is still working in the middle of our disappointment and heartache. Will you trust Him today?
When many would have given up, Joseph trusted God's plan. He believed God's message to Him and had faith. What is an area of your life where you need to trust God's plan? Are you willing to trust Him, even when you cannot see the outcome? Spend some time praying. If you are ready, give that area to Him and tell Him you trust Him. If you are struggling to trust, ask Him to help you trust Him. Even when we cannot see the ending, or it feels like all hope is lost, He is still working.
"This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac.
Isaac was the father of Jacob.
Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar).
Perez was the father of Hezron.
Hezron was the father of Ram.
4 Ram was the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon was the father of Salmon.
5 Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).
Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).
Obed was the father of Jesse.
6 Jesse was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).
7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.
Abijah was the father of Asa.
8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.
Jehoram was the father[e] of Uzziah.
9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham.
Jotham was the father of Ahaz.
Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.
Manasseh was the father of Amon.
Amon was the father of Josiah.
11 Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon).
12 After the Babylonian exile:
Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.
Abiud was the father of Eliakim.
Eliakim was the father of Azor.
14 Azor was the father of Zadok.
Zadok was the father of Akim.
Akim was the father of Eliud.
15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar was the father of Matthan.
Matthan was the father of Jacob.
16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
17 All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
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."
