Scripture:

“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. 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

 

Perspective:

Hundreds of years had passed since Isaiah had spoken of the one who would redeem Israel. The people had waited for the Messiah, and Joseph had no doubt waited for the Messiah too. The people had expected a conquering king to deliver the people from Roman oppression. Where was God in all of this? In God’s silence, He had not forgotten His promise. Matthew 1:1 started with the account of the people who were in Jesus’ lineage. All the way back to Abraham, God had been orchestrating events to align at this point in Joseph’s life. Joseph’s life, on the other hand, seemed to not be working out. His future wife was surprisingly expecting a child, and he had to make quick decisions. He could not allow his name to be tarnished in the ordeal. However, everything changed when the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. God walked into Joseph’s story that seemed to be falling apart and showed him how He was holding it together.  God invited him to play a role in the fulfillment of the promise.

 

You may be waiting to see the promises of God realized in your life. The birth of Jesus didn’t happen by accident; God had told the Israelites through Isaiah that Jesus would come. Yet, it is the waiting that can be the hardest. The lag time between the spoken promise and the fulfillment can cause us to wander away from the promises of God. God does not work on the same time frame as we do. When God speaks, you can count on the fulfillment of His Word. If the Christmas story tells us one thing, it is that God is true to His Word. The power for fulfillment was already released when the promise was spoken. Like Joseph, we have a choice of whether we take God at His Word. This Christmas, may Jesus remind us that His Word is true and every promise will come to pass.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[separator_small separator_width=” thickness=” up=” down=”]

About Hona Amer

I help people live life to the fullest. Check out my book, Smart Work U. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. In order to receive updates, subscribe below.

[separator_small separator_width=” thickness=” up=” down=”]