Believing What We Cannot See

Doing what God tells us to do is no guarantee that everything will work out the way we think it should. In fact, many times it is the very effort of following God that leads us into difficult circumstances. It was that way for Joseph and Mary. I would guess that few people believed Joseph and Mary’s story that Mary’s pregnancy was the result of God’s Spirit rather than immorality. They had no doubt endured scorn and criticism from many as they told their unbelievable story.

Then, another wave of difficulty came in the form of the government-imposed census of all of Rome’s occupied territories, including Israel. Caesar Augustus, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, and the first emperor of the Roman Empire, did not care what impact his edict had on the lives of those who were subject to it. At the point of Roman swords, the order would be enforced against anyone foolish enough to defy it. So Joseph and Mary made a long trip at an inconvenient time.

But they went in faith, believing that God was still in control. And in truth, the difficult journey was necessary for the prophecy of Jesus’ birthplace to be fulfilled. Hundreds of years earlier, Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). God was using the difficult circumstances in this couple’s lives to bring about His purpose. You can be assured that He will do the same through the most difficult things you face today.

Today’s Discipleship Principle: God always knows what He is doing, and we can always trust Him even when we cannot see His plan.