Difficult Times

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.”—Matthew 1:8

God doesn’t always do things in the way we would like for them to happen. He does things the way He wants them done, often completely different from our way of thinking. Consider Joseph’s perspective on Jesus’ birth. His fiancée comes to him to tell him something that would crush any man who heard it. She was pregnant. Can you imagine the emotion that rushed over him? Anger? Sadness? Confusion? A heart numbing pain, stabbing at his heart, ruthlessly crushing his future hopes and dreams? Can you imagine the questions that filled his mind? “How could she do this to me? What was she thinking? Who is the man that did this?” And then came the unbelievable answer: God was the Father of this child. Sure, he knew his theology and he knew science. Women don’t get pregnant without a human agent. She was either telling the truth or lying, and his experience dictated that this had never happened before, so she must be lying in order to cover up the identity of the real father of this child.

But, she was adamant that the child was not from any man, but from God Himself. He couldn’t come to terms with what she was saying. It was impossible. So, he had a mind to “divorce her quietly.”

In Israel a betrothal was more than an engagement, but less than a marriage. The two were considered legally married although there had been no consummation of the union. The only way to end it would be to obtain a divorce. Joseph knew the repercussions of divorcing Mary. She would be ostracized and possibly branded a whore. There would be no escaping her shame. He didn’t want to expose her to that type of humiliation, but what else could he do? He made up his mind that divorce was the only option of escaping the pain of the situation. He made sure that the divorce would be kept quiet though. He wanted to protect her as much as possible and needed to figure out how to keep the whole thing quiet. But not tonight, he needed rest.

He lay down to sleep. Sleep was a welcome break from the thoughts that crowded and jarred his mind. It would be a respite, a momentary oasis for his weary soul. The troubles of the day faded away as he entered into the dreamland for tired souls. Images slowly grew flesh in his rest, as the state of reality became that of a dream. And then in the shadowy images of blissful rest, something strange happened. Never before had he seen an angel, but there one was, in all of it’s glory and grandeur. Angels were and are God’s emissaries of Good News or judgment. What would it be for him? There was no escaping his dream. Fear and fascination united together in a quivering corner of curiosity and condemnation. Then the angel spoke. Never before had he heard an angel. Never before had the voice box of a spirit creature ever touched his ear. Even dreams cannot express the wonder of an angel’s voice, but in tones of serenity and seriousness, the angel spoke,  

“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. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

His eyes popped open. The angel was gone and he was back in his room again. His fears and frustration fled away. His beloved had been telling the truth all along. She really did love him and God Himself had chosen her to bear His anointed one. The weariness of the previous day was gone; replacing it was an excitement he had never known before. She was not guilty. Nor was he going to divorce her. And then there was the appearance of the angel that spoke directly to him. He was overjoyed but fearful. Other questions flooded his mind, “What do we do now? How do we deal with the pregnancy? What are others going to think? No one is going to understand.” He made his way back to Mary, told her about the angel and preceded to do everything the angel commanded of him.

Joseph’s story is one of faith in the midst of great difficulty. God had worked in a way that was not in conjunction with what he knew or understood. God has a tendency to stretch us during difficult times—times when the circumstances are rough and hard to comprehend what He is doing. To be sure, in Joseph’s situation God was miraculously working His will. And He is working His will in our lives as well. He is working through the midst of difficulty, through the midst of tragedy, bringing things to pass that we would not have orchestrated ourselves if we were chosen to the be the architects of God’s will. He pushes and challenges us to trust in Him when we are faced with the improbable or the impossible. But, He is there. He is there asking us to trust in Him, to wait upon Him, and to look for His handiwork displayed in the circumstances of our lives. Amen.