This morning I read my short devotional that mentioned that we don’t have a record of anything that Joseph said at the birth of Jesus. I’ve never really thought much about the lack of record of Joseph’s thoughts or words. But the story does show the faithfulness of Joseph.

Joseph, best known as the husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus, is found in the New Testament books of Matthew and Luke. Joseph was a man of strong beliefs. He not only strived to do what was right but also to do it the right way. When his betrothed Mary came to him with the news of her pregnancy, he knew the child could not be his.

Joseph decided he would break the engagement but determined to do it in such a way that it would not bring shame to Mary. He wanted to be just, acting with fairness and love. He had great respect for Mary’s character but her story of being miraculously impregnated by God’s Holy Spirit was difficult to believe. During this time of consideration, he was visited by a messenger from God confirming Mary’s story and convincing Joseph that Mary had not been unfaithful. God instructed Joseph to marry the young woman and honor her virginity until the baby was born. “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”).” (Matt. 1:20-23)

Joseph obeyed the Lord. “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.” (Matt 1:24-25) He had no guarantees that his people wouldn’t ridicule him or that raising Jesus would be an easy job. But what he knew was that God wanted him to marry Mary and raise Jesus.

This must have been initially very difficult for Joseph to reconcile in his natural mind. But Joseph had to be a very spiritual and faithful man of integrity. It is not known how long Joseph was in the life of Jesus but he realized from the moment of the heavenly visit that Jesus was to be very special. The last time Joseph was mentioned in the Bible was when Jesus was 12 years old (Luke 2:41–50). We can assume, that being the honorable man he was, Joseph fulfilled the role of earthly father to the best of his ability with all the love any man can have for his son. Joseph was given and fulfilled the role of protector, provider and teacher, raising the young boy without any further reservation. God provided Joseph with assurance, strength, and the abilities of leadership to raise the child who was brought to be Savior. God has promised us, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33)

God honors integrity, obedience, and faithfulness. Our obedience to Him will bring increased guidance and blessings from Him. With God’s help, any situation or appearance of things gone wrong can be used for a good outcome when we remain steadfast and have a personal relationship with God. If you seek Him and listen for His direction, He will answer you with provisions of a blessed outcome for you as well.

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