When All Your Plans Seem to Fall Apart
"The Anxiety of St. Joseph" by James Tissot |
He’s a good man, a
righteous man, a man who seeks to do God’s will. But his plans have all fallen
apart. He’s just found out that Mary, his wife-to-be, is with child. And he
knows it cannot be his! The only logical conclusion is that she has been
unfaithful.
Now, he’s struggling with
what to do. Joseph has the legal right to serve his betrothed with divorce
papers. He could make the matter public, running the risk that Mary might be
punished as an adulteress, possibly stoned to death. But Joseph doesn’t want to
hurt Mary or cause further scandal, so he seeks to find a way to arrange a quiet
divorce.
But while Joseph reevaluates
his plans, the Lord intervenes. He sends an angel to Joseph in a dream, who
tells Joseph to not fear taking Mary as his wife, that which is conceived in
her is from the Holy Spirit. Mary will give birth to a son, and Joseph as legal
father is to name the child Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
What an astounding
revelation the angel’s has for Joseph! His doubts about Mary’s faithfulness are
eliminated. In their place Joseph receives the amazing, good news that he will have
the privilege of caring for God’s Son, the promised Messiah, the Redeemer of
the world! By God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, Joseph believes the
angel and obeys His commands. He takes Mary home without delay. Joseph’s simple
acceptance of the angel’s words is an act of faith like those of the great
heroes of the Old Testament, to believe the Lord absolutely, despite all the contrary
evidence.
Nevertheless, it is not
Joseph who is the central figure of this story: God is; God always is. God is
working out a much bigger story than Joseph could ever imagine. Eugene Peterson
suggests this is how it is for the people of God: “When we submit our lives to
what we read in scripture, we find that we are not being led to see God in our
stories but our stories in God’s. God is the larger context and plot in which
our stories find themselves.”
The challenge (for
Joseph, and for us) is we tend to think of it the other way around. We
generally imagine ourselves as the central figure in our lives. This is a
result of our limitations. We can only see through our own two eyes, which
happen to be laser-focused on our own concerns, our own responsibilities, and
our own capabilities. This leads us to think and act in ways which are
remarkably narrow and usually selfish.
God opens Joseph’s eyes
to see something much bigger. Mary’s extramarital pregnancy is, in fact, the
work of the Holy Spirit. As Isaiah had prophesied eight centuries earlier, God is
coming to be with His people in the flesh. This child will be God’s instrument
for saving people from their sin. This promise broadens Joseph’s perspective.
It changes his mind and determines his course of action. Certainly, still
afraid (and in need of several other divine dreams for further guidance),
Joseph fulfills his small part in God’s much bigger story.
As you go about your
life, you may also find things not going according to your plan. Take heart! Ask
the Lord to help you see your life as a small part of His bigger story. Even
when you can’t see how this will end for good, trust God’s promise that it will
and joyfully serve others in His name as He gives you opportunity.
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