TAKING MARY
- DAY 358
- FEAR FILE: JOSEPH
- SCRIPTURES: Matthew 1:20, 24-25
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. 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
Matthew 1:20, 24-25
In our text today, Joseph has gotten a confirmation of what Mary said. God sent an angel to comfort his troubled heart and encourage him to father Jesus. However, this would require courage. Mary had spent 3 months with Elisabeth before she came home to inform Joseph of her situation. This means that he did not have the opportunity to save face by marrying her early enough to cover the pregnancy. So when the whispers start after their wedding, he would have to be courageous in the face of it and stand as the father of a child he did not create. Knowing all this, he went ahead to obey God. He married her and brought her home. Then came the next challenge – not consummating his marriage.
Joseph needed courage to lay beside his new wife, after abstaining during courtship and not touching her. Jesus was to be born by a virgin and he will not stand in the way of God’s plan for his wife and his family. That, my friends, is beyond self-control; It is faith
Beloved, we know that obedience cannot be excluded in the journey of faith and courage, it is impossible to have one without the other. So pray, and tell the Lord to give you courage I believe that God might reveal some weird instructions about your spouse, friend, business, etc and you’re going to need all the faith and courage you can get. So ask the Lord for that courage.
Shalom.
