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
When the angel reveals the truth, everything changes. The command to take Mary as his wife would have looked foolish and risky to outsiders, inviting whispers, suspicion, and social cost. But in obedience, Joseph embraces God’s plan over his own. The Child in the cradle is God’s unlikely plan to save us, a plan that appears weak and scandalous to human eyes. Christmas isn’t truly Christmas until we lay down our sensible human plans and trust the wisdom of God’s redeeming work in Jesus.
Prayer
Lord God, forgive me for clinging to my own plans when You have something greater in mind. Help me to listen when You speak and obey even when it doesn’t make sense to the world. Amen.
Meditation
Where in your life are you holding onto a “quiet divorce,” i.e., a sensible, self-protective plan, that God might be inviting you to abandon for His greater purpose?