December 19th Advent Devotional

December 19

Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

-Matthew 1:19-21_NLT

I can scarcely imagine the shock Joseph faced upon learning that his fiancée, Mary, was pregnant.  Yet his reaction to this apparent betrayal has left me awestruck today.  Scripture tells us that Joseph was a righteous man.  Though he had every reason to be angry, he demonstrated kindness and restraint instead.  Despite the hurt and embarrassment he must’ve felt, he had no desire to disgrace Mary publicly.  Instead, he decided to end their engagement quietly. 

Perhaps you can recall a relationship in your own life that has quietly slipped away.  You didn’t want to cause a scene, invite gossip, or embarrass the other party; you just decided to let go.  Or maybe you’ve been on the receiving end of this quiet dismissal, left to wonder what happened.  Some of us decide to dismiss Jesus quietly from our lives.  When the tragedy we’ve suffered is too deep for words; when the wilderness season stretches on endlessly; when we’ve prayed until we’re hoarse but the heavens remain silent… we can begin to think we’ve been betrayed.  And we can begin to withdraw from the Lord. 

If Joseph had followed through with his initial decision to dismiss Mary, he, too, would’ve dismissed Jesus.  Curiously, the very event that upended Joseph’s world was, in fact, the arrival of God into his midst.  Fortunately, Joseph received divine direction not to end his engagement to Mary. The result of his obedience to this puzzling call was an adventure so incredible that we’re still marveling over it today. 

If, like Joseph, you find yourself facing a time of apparent betrayal or crushing disappointment, pause and seek God’s direction before choosing to dismiss another—and especially before choosing to dismiss God.  The promise of Advent is a Savior who has chosen to come down from the heavens and enter into our pain with us.  When the situation is beyond our comprehension, may we choose to trust the heart of the One who will never dismiss us from His sight.   

Allyson Long