Thursday, December 7, 2017
Matthew 1:20 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 ...
GOD'S ANGEL
Wouldn't it be nice if every time we were confused, or on the wrong track, God would send an angel to set us right? But the problem is not necessarily that God does not speak to us, is it? His apostles, like Matthew here, are still bringing God's timeless messages to us today. The problem is: how are we going to respond when that message is not what we expected, when it leaves us feeling a bit uncomfortable, or when it doesn't seem to change things?
Joseph was asked to believe the angel enough to take Mary as his wife, just as though nothing were out of the ordinary, to provide the protection of marriage for Mary to have the child that was not his. But Joseph was not commanded to do these things. He was not frightened into it. He was persuaded to believe and to do.
And now we, too, are asked to believe that angel: that this Child is truly God's Son come to save us from all the punishment our sins deserve. When the angel left Joseph, all he had that he hadn't had before was the assurance that the Lord Himself was involved in all that was going on.
And haven't God's messengers given us that same assurance: "All things work together for good to them that love God..." "I will not leave thee nor forsake thee...."
What harm can sin and death then do?
The true God now abides with you.
Let hell and Satan rage and chafe,
Christ is your brother – you are safe!
