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But as he [Joseph] 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: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His Name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:20-23)
The angel says, “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife.” Joseph had good reason to be afraid before the angel came to him. At that point, he still thought Mary was pregnant by another man. And if Joseph had gone ahead and married her under those circumstances, what kind of a life would he have had with a woman whose heart was elsewhere?
But God sees the problem and deals with it openly in His message to Joseph. God always does see the problems that we face—even the ones that seem too sordid or too embarrassing to confess to anybody else. And in His kindness, He deals with them—even when it means coming down to earth as our Savior, to give His life and to rise from the dead for our sake. Nothing and no one is too low for Him to love and to rescue.
WE PRAY: Dear Savior, thank You for noticing me and my problems, too. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you have embarrassing worries and problems?
- Do you ever hesitate to bring them up when you’re praying and asking God for help?
- How does it make you feel to know that Jesus has already noticed your problems and is finding ways to help you?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
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