Now this is how Jesus
the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph.
But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
Joseph, her fiancé, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly,
so as not to disgrace her publicly. As he considered this he fell asleep, and
an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the
angel said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the
child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 1:18-20 NLT)
The Biggest Loser reality show has had contestants who were
not only grossly overweight, but who harbored unresolved fears. I have watched
past shows where a contestant was deathly afraid of heights, and it took a lot
of urging on the part of the trainers to convince them to face their fears and
overcome them. On the present show one of Jillian’s team members was afraid of
water. She couldn’t get him to let go of the edge of the pool. Finally, she
just jumped in beside him and coaxed him into letting go and attempting to
swim. He did the dog paddle as most beginning swimmers do, but he made it
across. What a joyful expression lit up his face and he realized that he had
conquered his fear!
We all face our
giants of fear, and the people involved in the birth of Jesus were no
exception. In our previous devotions we saw the fear of Mary, the shepherds,
the Magi, and Herod. Now, we need to think of the fears that the prospective
father Joseph faced.
If you were in
Joseph’s shoes, what kind of fears would you have to face? Would you be fearful
of Mary’s young age (she was thought to be in her early teens) to be with
child? Would you be fearful knowing that you would be responsible for the
baby’s delivery and upbringing? Would you be fearful of the ninety miles
journey from Nazareth to the small village of Bethlehem? Then there’s the fear
of Mary’s condition (she may have been about eight months pregnant) to make the
trip on the back of a donkey over the hilly topography of Israel? What about
lodging and food when they get there? When you arrived and found no room in the
inn wouldn’t you be afraid?
The one thing
Joseph had in his favor and which he could cling to, were the promises that God
gave to him through the angel. He was assured that the baby would be born
because he was instructed by the angel of the Lord to name him Jesus, for he
would save his people from their sins. (Mt. 1:21) Both Mary and Joseph were
given the assurance that Jesus would become very great and would be called the
son of the Most High. “And the Lord God will give him the throne of his
ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never
end!” (Lk 1:32 NLT)
All of us have to
face the giants of fear. Fear of broken relationships! Fear of loss of job and
home! Fear of faded health! Fear of loneliness! These and many other fears we
have to deal with on a daily basis. But we have the same promises and
assurances that were given to Joseph and Mary. They trusted in God and enjoyed
the fulfillment of God’s promises. You and I can do the same as we cling to
Jesus by faith. Through the many years I have known the Savior, he has been
faithful in keeping his promises to me. The same can be said of each of you.
Let us renew our commitment to him this Christmas.
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