Rusty Grant | Monroe, Louisiana
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An Unplanned Pregnancy - Matthew 1: 19-20
"And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 1:19-20) Beloved, I’m pregnant. Sometimes these words invoke great joy and at other times sheer terror. For Joseph the latter was probably true. His fiancé was telling him that she was pregnant. What would he do? How had this happened or worse yet why would she have done this? Not only would she bring shame on herself, but if this got out of hand she would also dishonor Joseph and bring shame on his family. Why had this happened? In response, Joseph was preparing to do what most of us would have done in this situation; break off the engagement and send her away quietly. After all, he had not had sex with her; it had to be someone else! In fact it was someone else God was at work in a very definite way. The life that was created in Mary was the work of the Holy Spirit and not by human means. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” How did the Holy Spirit’s involvement change the final outcome? Joseph knew that he had not done anything wrong and Mary knew it too, but would anyone else believe them? Certainly what had happened was unprecedented. If Joseph went forward with what he was being told, it certainly would be seen by everyone as confirmation of impropriety. They would be “marked” for the rest of their lives. Yet the fear of being ostracized by the community in which they lived was removed by the knowledge that the Holy Spirit was at work. God Himself was orchestrating these events and the tangible results were directly caused by His divine activity. It did not matter that people would quietly whisper about them or that their lives and the life of the baby Mary carried would by surrounded by a cloud of suspicion and doubt. The trust Joseph demonstrated in God’s plan allowed him to proceed in spite of outward appearances. Does God’s plan for your life include things that just don’t make sense or are impossible to explain to others? Are you willing to trust God’s plan for you even though it makes you “look bad” in front of other people? God had created Joseph for a reason. There was a specific part that he had to play in the birth of the Messiah. Not much is known about Joseph. His part in terms of human history is not very big but yet it was the part that God had assigned him. God does not entrust His important jobs to the powerful, wealthy or strong. He gives His assignments to those who trust. If Joseph had not obeyed God, Mary still would have had the baby but leaving town would have been next to impossible especially as quickly and quietly as they did. A single mother simply would not have the ability to do such a thing. In the day in which they lived, the husband was the sole means of support and protection; a role that Joseph filled by taking his wife and child into Egypt. It was not glamorous. At first it did not make sense and it went against what seemed right, but it was what Joseph had been created for. What have you been created for? Perhaps you have never considered this question, but God has created you for a very specific purpose. Are you willing to ask God why He has created you? Are you willing to be obedient to that calling even if it does not match up with your goals for your life? This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: “Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel,” which means “God with us.” What God was up to was much bigger than Joseph, Mary or anyone else. God’s plan is just that way. God had foretold of this event some 700 years before it happened. The prophet was Isaiah and in the book named after him, he prophesies that a virgin would give birth to a son. What is even more important is what was said of Jesus at the end of verse 21, “he will save his people from their sins.” God was bringing about His plan that He had set in motion way back before the Garden of Eden. He was providing the way for all people to be reconciled unto Him by sending His only Son into the world to die as a sacrifice for those who needed to be forgiven for their sinful lives. It was no accident that Mary was pregnant nor was it any accident that she was engaged to Joseph. They were the two people picked to fulfill God’s plan that was put into motion long before they or their fathers or grandfathers had ever been born. What difference does it make to know that God has a plan that is much bigger than you? Joseph did what he was told. Yes, that’s right he obeyed God. Before you dismiss this point, consider where Joseph was in his life. He was a young man with a brand new wife and baby; a baby that was not his because neither he nor Mary had experienced physical intimacy. Not what most of us would consider a “picture perfect” honeymoon? None-the-less, Joseph did what God had told him to do even though it made no sense whatsoever. Take a moment to reflect on your life. What are you fearful of? Really, in the quiet corners of your heart what do you fear? Do you believe that God will provide for you in this area? Why won’t you trust Him to take care of your fears?
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