Lent: Joseph

Matthew 1:18-25

Very little is said about Joseph in the Bible, yet what is mentioned is very profound. He was a just man and obviously an excellent role model for God to choose him for the role of raising His own Son. The Lord gave him just enough information to do his job, never the whole picture, and Joseph trusted Him so completely that he obeyed immediately without question. I've had dreams that seem to reach beyond my human insight, but I've never made a decision that affects my entire future because of a single dream. Joseph must have tried to follow the Lord closely in order, allowing him to recognize His voice so clearly through the words of an angel in a dream. Four dreams are mentioned (Mt 1:20; 2:13; 2:19; 2:22), and each time Joseph recognized the dream for what it was and took immediate action. I wonder what it was like through the years as he raised Jesus from a baby into adulthood, mentored Him, taught Him, heard His voice. It must have been very convicting for him to see perfection and know his own faults as an individual and as a father. The little we see of Joseph, though, reveals a man seeking the Lord's direction and willing to follow wherever He leads. May we also grow in our ability to recognize the Lord's voice leading us and our willingness to follow immediately in whatever direction He takes us.