Have you ever thought that God may want to use YOU to accomplish His will in someone else’s life? You might think you are an ordinary Joe or Jane, but let’s just look at the life of Joseph!
Can you just imagine…being engaged to Mary, the mother of Jesus? Back then engaged was as good as being married…a binding agreement. So, here is Joseph, engaged, and his betrothed tells him she is pregnant but she didn’t have sex with another man. Then she continues to tell him it was the Holy Spirit. Can you just try and put yourself in Joseph’s place? He was a righteous man, going about his business with…goals, dreams, and plans…only to have his life turned upside down…not by Mary really, but by God!!!
Can you just stop to think how Joseph must have felt? What went through his mind…confusion, betrayal, dashed dreams, humiliation, rejection? Mary basically was telling him something that was “humanly impossible,” something he had never heard of. He must have thought she was out of her mind.
We know Joseph was a righteous man because he had decided to divorce her quietly, not drag her through the mud. Matthew 1:19, “Because Joseph, her husband, was FAITHFUL to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” Joseph’s actions were righteous, not self-righteous. I love that about Joseph. God knew it too before He hand selected him to be Mary’s husband.
Consider…looking at Joseph’s life as a support role in Mary’s life. We rarely read that Joseph even uttered a word. I have rarely ever heard someone preach a sermon on the life of Joseph but we learn from his life how God uses an ordinary life of “Joe” for extraordinary things. We learn from Joseph:
1) Obey God in spite of the impossibility. Basically NO word of God shall lack the power of God for its fulfillment! a.k.a. My impossibility is God’s opportunity!
God spoke to Joseph in a dream and gave him an assignment. Matthew 1:20-21, “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.'” Just think, Joseph had to LAY HIS plans and dreams aside to do God’s will.
2) Obey God in spite of the inconvenience. Baby Jesus’ life was in danger in Matthew 2:13. “When they [the wise men] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for this child to kill him.'” They had to pick up and move. Joseph obeyed immediately and completely…inconvenient….
3) Obey God in spite of the cost. Joseph’s life completely changed into another direction…one he did not see coming. No warning. But he obeyed the Lord immediately….without hesitation…no matter the inconvenience, or the cost and when it didn’t make human sense….
His reward? He was Jesus’ earthly dad and he was the first human to hold Jesus because of his obedience and being willing to say yes to God. Reflect for a moment over his role of obedience in God accomplishing HIS perfect Will in the life of Mary with his son Jesus.
Point of post: God uses ordinary people with great and loyal hearts to accomplish amazing things. It might mean that He asks you to take on the “supporting role,” not the “lead,” in someone else’s life to accomplish His plan!
If God calls you to the humanly ridiculous, will you obey, completely and immediately, even if it doesn’t seem to make sense? WE learn from Joseph, when God shows us what to do, the best thing is to get busy and do it. Remember, He might want to use me/you to accomplish His will in the life of someone else.
Who do you know that might need your love, your encouragement, your support in something that God has called them to do? Could it be that He wants me/you to be Joseph in someone else’s life to accomplish things we can’t even imagine?
Ask Him today…What next? Who? And then do it. He won’t hesitate to show you.