Joseph
and Mary were more than engaged. The
custom of their day recognized “betrothal” as more of a commitment, and even
more binding, than engagement. So when
Joseph learned Mary was with child before they had been together as husband and
wife, he faced a difficult situation.
Jewish custom would have allowed him to break off the arrangement,
leaving Mary in disgrace. He had decided
to divorce her quietly, a decision with life-altering, long-term consequences
for them both. One wonders how Joseph
reached his decision. Did he make use of
the problem solving process? Did he
identify all of his options, weigh the pros and cons of each one, and select
the one that made the most sense?
Perhaps he even questioned the rationale of God’s plan.
We
know that Joseph was a righteous man and, in all likelihood, he spent time in
prayer seeking an answer to his problem.
From the angel in his dream, he received God’s command to take Mary as
his wife. In the end, Joseph put all of
his faith in God and did as he was commanded.
He did not worry about what the neighbors might think. He may not have felt that it made perfect
sense, however, he trusted God to be in control. He believed in God to have the wisdom and
power to fulfill the prophecy spoken of for so many years. And on Christmas, the Holy Spirit blessed
Joseph and Mary with His son, Jesus, the King of Kings, Immanuel, “God with
us”.
Prayer: Oh, God, Help me to be more like Joseph. I know I try to be in control and make
rational decisions on my own too much, when what I need to do is put more trust
in your counsel. When I have tough
decisions to make in life, remind me to rely upon you to be in control of the
situation and to trust that you have the wisdom and power to guide me in
righteous ways. Thank you for sending
your son, Jesus, to live among us. Hear
my prayer in His name, Amen.
Suzy
Bruner
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