But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20-21)
I wonder if Joseph ever had trouble accepting his place in the whole Christmas story. If Mary wanted to ask, "Are you sure you've got the right girl?" she had the proof of God's choice in her own body, in her pregnancy. But Joseph? He had dreams. And those are a bit harder to hang on to when doubts come into your mind.
Maybe that's why the angel addressed him as "Joseph, son of David." Long ago, God promised King David that the Messiah would come from his family: "I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body. ... I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son" (2 Samuel 7:12b, 13b-14a).
If Joseph was going to be the legal father of the Messiah, he needed to be a son of David—and he was. God picked Joseph as surely as He picked Mary. Joseph could lean on that promise if he ever had doubts.
God has picked you, too, and sealed it with a promise: "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God" (1 John 5:1a). You are God's forever, through the loving work of Jesus your Savior, who died and rose for you.
THE PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for choosing me to be Your own. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Why do you think God chose dreams to speak to Joseph?
* Is it ever hard for you to trust that God has chosen you?
* If so, what do you do when such doubts trouble you?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: Esther 3-5 Revelation 12
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"