"Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to
expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after
he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream…"[1] The Word of God calls him righteous, and his
intention to avoid shaming his bride reveals his godly character. His
circumstance, character and choice have put Joseph in a place where he is about
to experience God on a whole new level.
We all want that. We all
desire to be like Joseph in being called righteous. We all desire to act in
God's character. Indeed, some cross earth and sea to get to what they
understand as “thin places” – places where they might be close enough to God to
hear Him more clearly or see spiritual reality more tangibly. Places like where
Joseph is now, sleeping. These are the enviable traits of Joseph's story, but
not many would envy where he actually is
at this point in his story. His bride to be has just revealed her pregnancy –
something that in all likelihood has already destroyed their pending marriage. How
hard it was for Joseph to fall asleep the Word does not tell us, but one can
imagine he was broiled in thought about exactly what to do about his finances’
pregnancy. Close to God he may be, but Joseph is in a very difficult place
indeed!
Truth is, we all want the
honour that God showed him (in being chosen to be part of His story). But we
want that honor without the difficulty of living out the day-to-day decisions
that result in refinement of our character. We want God to call us righteous
without God calling us to challenging circumstance. We want to be in thin places
- places where the Lord might reveal Himself in a most meaningful way - but we
want that without the inner pain that places us there. We want dreams and
visions of God’s plans for us without crying ourselves to sleep. We want His
best for us now, without first seeking to do the best for those who have quite
possibly already destroyed our lives.
But there are no shortcuts,
whatever our circumstance. Only choices. Choices that either put us nearer to
Him, or not.
Those choices are ours to
make. Your to make, even today.
· What
challenge/decision do you face that you wish God would help you with?
· How has He
already helped you?
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