Matthew 1:22-24
“All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “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.’ When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.”
Yesterday we read the prophecy from Isaiah written 700 years before the birth of Jesus. Here we see those same words quoted — evidence of the fulfillment of the prophecy through Jesus’ coming. In this passage, Joseph has a dream just as he was about to run away from God’s calling on his life. He wasn’t about to get caught up in Mary’s scandal, although he had decided to be honorable about it. God intervenes and sends an angel to appear in Joseph’s dream. It must have been a pretty vivid one, because upon waking Joseph is prepared to be obedient to God based on what he saw.
Here’s your freedom for today: God reveals his mission clearly.
We often wonder what God’s will is, and we make it so complicated we have no idea what to do. We wait and wonder and do nothing while waiting. In this example of God showing up, he’s not only preparing to send Jesus, but he’s revealing his mission to Joseph. There is no evidence in the Bible that Joseph even prayed to ask God what to do — he just made a plan to leave Mary before the scandal broke. When God has a plan, he makes it clear. If you are faithful in seeking to do the right thing, God will interrupt you if you are wrong.
This holiday season, take time to read the Matthew account of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. Consider the ways in which God reveals himself and works to unfold his plan. Take time to marvel at the ways he brings himself to the world.