“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.” (Matthew 1:20 NIV)
Let’s start with the word ‘after’. We not that God had given Joseph time and space to fully consider Mary’s situation and come to right conclusions. It was not until after Joseph arrived at the wrong decision that the angel appeared in his dream.
Let’s also note that while all the angelic Christmas encounters involved some element of fear, Joseph was the only one dealing with fear before the angel stepped into his scene. What was he afraid of? Taking Mary to be his wife. Overnight this woman, who he thought he’d known, had become come a liability. Mary, full of grace and virtue, was somehow pregnant with seed from another.
Joseph was dealing with what he believed to be marital betrayal and to be fair, is the most up-ending offense. His world had to be spinning; he was likely questioning all he believed about Mary, second-guessing every conversation and encounter. He was probably worried sick about the sort of wife she’d be. As a Jew he was familiar with the Prophet Hosea and his wayward wife, Hagar. Joseph was maybe trying to wrap his mind around the bombshell that this pregnancy revelation would be in their tight-knit community. Nazareth was a small village, would he become the town laughingstock? Would his carpentry shop survive such ridicule? How could he make it all go away? Would he ever have a wife and family after all of this? Oh why, oh why had he set his heart on Mary?
It’s safe to say that Joseph was sore afraid long before his angelic visitation. In fact, the power and beauty of the angel may have seemed small in comparison to the huge fears Joseph was hurting in his heart that night.
It’s amazing, so often God deals with our fear by giving us inside information. Most typically, prayer is the vehicle that gets us into His presence where such truth is readily available. That’s why the writer of Philippians encourages us to be anxious for nothing, but to turn every situation into prayer and supplication. Getting close to God changes our perspective and give us vital information. But God has also been known to bring revelation through His Word, dreams, visions, and even angelic visits. I suspect that Joseph had an angelic visitation because he was too panicked to pray effectively and he was about to make a terrible decision that would shatter the Christmas story as we know it. Baby Jesus needed an earthly dad. Mary needed a protecter/provider. And perhaps, most importantly, Joseph needed a Savior. We don’t know how long Joseph got to father Jesus, but we do know he’s passed on before Jesus’ ministry years began. We can assume that Joseph parented Jesus long enough to truly believe in the Son he was raising.
God helps us cope with our fears through prayer. When we feel fear rise up, we battle it best on our knees. Divine perspective brings inside information: even it only to remind us of eternity. Today’s troubles are light and momentary when compared to the glory we’re achieving. Be assured though, when we are too panicked to pray, God still steps into our stories in another way. He loves us too much to let us mess up His good plans for all people.
“Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is see is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 17-18 NIV)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV)
O Lord, we bring our fear to Your feet. Help us to pray when we feel panicked, when circumstance dumps us out and everything is upside down. Help us find the words or at least our prayer language when we are afraid. Pull us close and provide Kingdom perspective. Set our sights on what is true and what is important. Guard our hearts from offense and set our feet firmly on the path that pleases You. Amen.