Then Joseph her husband, being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 1:19–20

As I was reading through the story of the birth of our Lord this past week, I was struck by the story of Joseph. We are not told how old Joseph was at the time the Lord Jesus was born. But we are told that Mary was betrothed to him and that they had never been together as husband and wife. As I read Matthew 1:18–25, I tried to put myself in Joseph’s place: What was he feeling when he learned that the woman he was betrothed to was expecting a child? We are not explicitly told how he felt, but there may be a hint in the words, he “was minded to put her away secretly.” Was he embarrassed by the news? Was he hurt—perhaps broken, even devastated? You and I might have felt all of the above!

But Joseph received a word from the Lord not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, “for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” I’m sure Joseph did not understand how this could have happened, but he accepted it and took the Lord at His word. We read, “Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”

We may not understand what the Lord is doing in our lives, but like Joseph we can “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5–6).

This time of year can be very difficult for some, even when most around us are happy and celebrating the season. Perhaps you are hurting, broken, even devastated—much like Joseph could have been. There is hope for the hurting. Psalm 34:18 reminds us that “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Psalm 147:3 adds, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Anchor For Today:
Joseph’s circumstance did not change—he was still engaged to a woman expecting a child—but he was willing to trust and depend on the word of the Lord for all that was ahead of him. May the Lord help us to do the same!