Blessings on the Righteous

“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’” (Matthew 1:18-20).

Can you imagine how the conversation between Mary and Joseph might have sounded when she tried to explain to him how she became pregnant? Mary was a very young teenager, and she tells her fiancée that an angel came to her and said she was going to have a baby, and not just any baby mind you, but God was the Father. And oh, by the way, I’m still a virgin too.

I don’t know if Joseph gets enough credit for his role in being Jesus’ earthly father. Joseph could have had Mary stoned, and certainly no one would have blamed him for divorcing Mary. We know very little about Joseph, but what we do know from this passage is that he was a righteous man. He also had good bloodlines coming from the lineage of David.

Joseph had not had any training to prepare him for something like this. So how does one prepare for the unexpected? How do you not be afraid when your world gets turned upside down? We have to realize that sometimes things are not as they seem. What if Joseph had followed his intuition and proceeded to turn Mary away? What if he had sought advice from a friend? Times like these, you have to do what Joseph did: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Joseph was a righteous man, meaning he was in right standing with God. What does God do for righteous men and women? “For surely, O LORD, You bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favor as with a shield” (Psalm 5:12).Sometimes we have to turn off our earthly filters and follow the Holy Spirit’s prompting. Do not be afraid to walk in obedience to the Lord. Dare to trust Him with all your heart!

Prayer: Dear God, I want to be in right standing with You just like Joseph was. Show me any area of my life that needs to change. I will walk in obedience to You and trust You with all my heart. I thank You O Lord for Your blessings and Your favor. In Jesus name, amen.