December 4, 2021- Matthew‬ ‭1:18, 20-21

“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. His mother, Mary, had promised Joseph to be his wife, but while she was still a virgin she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit…An angel from the Lord appeared to him [Joseph] and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t hesitate to take Mary into your home as your wife, because the power of the Holy Spirit has conceived a child in her womb. She will give birth to a son and you are to name him ‘Savior,’ for he is destined to give his life to save his people from their sins.”” Matthew 1:18, 20-21 TPT

Lord, I read this today and I couldn’t help but think about what a sudden and unexpected turn in the road of their life this was. They were just ordinary people. In the scheme of everyone on the planet, they were “nobodies”. Just two people that didn’t stand out to many people, but they stood out to you. As much of an honor as it must have been to be chosen to raise Jesus, I can’t even imagine what this must have been like for them. Suddenly, their world was turned upside down. By choosing them for your task, you ruined their reputation. You upended the plans they had for their lives. What must it have been like to know you had to raise the Son of God?

Lord, I think back over most anyone in the Bible who did great things for you, and they all have similar stories. You had their stories take unexpected turns that seemed crazy to them. You took them on journeys that were out of their comfort zones and at times probably made no sense to them. It typically cost them so much, often causing them to give up everything. It was common that their reputations were damaged. When we read the stories, we know the powerful endings but living the journey would have been filled with so much unknown. When they pressed into you and walked in obedience to what you asked regardless of the cost, you did crazy powerful things through them.

Lord, help us to remember these things when suddenly our life takes an unexpected turn. When it seems like we are losing everything, don’t let us lose hope. When nothing makes sense, help us to hold onto trusting in you. When we are in the journey and have no idea where you are taking us, much less how we will get there, help us press into hearing your voice. When you ask us to do things that will cost us so much, help us be willing to lay down whatever is needed to walk in obedience. Lord, we want the great stories of you doing wild things through us, like the people in the Bible. We want to be willing to step out in the faith it takes to see that happen. Use us, Father, and remind us of these things as we walk the journey into the unknown with you.

In Jesus name, amen.