Trust is Tough Work
Twelfth Day of Advent. Thursday, December 11, 2025
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet 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. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25
Dear friends,
Wow! In the opening chapters of Matthew’s gospel, a man has dreams that shape the rest of the story. Not one, not two, but three dreams! Each is not a casual conversation but an angelic message directly from God, shattering his expectations as he stands frozen between fear and faith. Meet Joseph, a humble carpenter from the remote town of Nazareth, who loves his betrothed, Mary. He believes she is a virgin, only to be told she is pregnant, and the child is definitely not his.
Most of us may know the story and how it turns out, but just for a moment, after the first angel appears, ask yourself, what would you do? Personally (John here), I would be tempted to stick with Joseph’s first decision to break off the engagement quietly. I would be asking myself: “Who needs the humiliation of people thinking my betrothed is pregnant by who knows who or by what? That I fell for some extraordinary story of this being the way God gives children, and for the firstborn who would live under my roof, was never my own. Really?! And, to top it off, the angel’s opening words hit Joseph: “Do not be afraid.” This is full-on fear and trepidation!
Most often, that is how the Scriptures unfold. Whenever God intervenes in human life with something new and transformative, fear is the natural human reaction—fear of the unknown, fear of judgment, fear of taking risks that might jeopardize everything. Joseph had every reason to be afraid—of social stigma, of being called a fool, and of committing to a situation he couldn’t fully understand or control.
But, thankfully, Joseph saw it differently. As Matthew 1:19 tells us he was “a righteous man.” In first-century Jewish culture, righteousness wasn’t merely about personal morality or rigid legalism—it was about reflecting God’s character, holding both justice and mercy in perfect tension. Joseph could also have disgraced Mary, but he is a righteous man shaped by the rich Hebrew word “hesed,” encompassing loyal love, steadfast mercy, and covenant faithfulness. Joseph chose the way of perfect love and cast aside his fears (1 John 4:18). God was asking Joseph to trust not in his own understanding, but in the character of the One who calls.
No hesitation. No negotiation. No asking for extra proof or clearer signs. Joseph simply obeyed. It was faith in its purest form — not the absence of questions or having everything planned out on a spreadsheet, but the willingness to act on God’s word even when the path ahead is unclear. Joseph becomes someone who trusts God’s promises enough to stake his entire life on them.
And it was costly. He would face whispers and suspicion. He would raise a son who wasn’t biologically his own. He would guide a child whose true Father was God himself, knowing that this boy’s destiny was far beyond anything a carpenter from Nazareth could fully comprehend. He would protect and provide for the Messiah, teaching him the Torah, showing him what it meant to be a man of integrity and faith.
What should we do when God’s call upsets our plans? When obeying God means facing confusion, accepting social consequences, or stepping into an unpredictable future? Like Joseph, we often find ourselves at crossroads where faith and fear battle for our hearts. We want certainty before we commit. We want to understand before we obey. We want a roadmap before taking the first step.
Joseph teaches us that faith isn’t passive. It’s a relationship of trust—that God’s character and promises are true and sound. That He is present with us even when the plans are mysterious. It’s waking up from a dream and actually doing what God has asked. It’s taking Mary home as your wife when everyone thinks you’re wrongheaded. It’s naming the baby Jesus (“Yahweh saves”) even though you don’t know where the story will go from here.
How about you, about us? Where are we willing to step forward without fear? And when we do step out, will we do what Joseph did — holding together justice and mercy, conviction and compassion?
Prayer:
Father, grant us the faith of Joseph—courage to trust you when your plans confuse us, willingness to obey even at a great cost, and humility to play our part in your story without needing to understand everything. Help us to hear your voice above our fears and to wake each day ready to obey what You ask of us. Through Christ our Lord, Immanuel, God with us. Amen.
Watching and waiting,
Joseph’s question to Mary: