Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us." When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25

God revealed His plan to Mary and David at different times. Mary received advance notice from the angel Gabriel that she would conceive the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. But Joseph probably did not receive the word until later, and he received the word in a dream. Such is the mystery of God’s guidance. Mary was told beforehand and Joseph had to struggle with what seemed a crushing blow. Both obeyed faithfully. We cannot predict all of what the Lord wants us to do nor how He will direct our lives, but we can be confident that He will guide us. And, like Mary and Joseph, we must be ready to follow His leading.

You don’t need to know where you are going,

if you let God do the leading.

Our Daily Bread – December 22, 2003