Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,  and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

Matthew 1:19-25

Not much is said about this man named Joseph, but what is said about him conveys the life of a great faith.  Because he was a man who made a decision to “forsake all” and trust God with his life.

One can only imagine the kind of faith that Joseph possessed that gave him the strength and focus to obey God in the midst of a culture that would forever know him as the man who got his wife pregnant before marriage.  In spite of the outrageous story that Mary presented, he had an integrity that wanted to protect her.  In his culture, he would have been justified to break off the engagement in a very public manner so as to remove himself from the shame that her pregnancy brought to his reputation and the family honor.  This situation weighed very heavy on his heart and mind as he wanted to do the right thing, in the right way.

It was then he had a dream and the Lord appeared to him and affirmed to Joseph the words of Mary.  Immediately after the dream, the scripture says Joseph awoke and did as the Lord commanded him. Joseph exemplifies the heart of a man who “forsook all” to do God’s will on the behalf of another.

Joseph forsook:

• His own human reasoning and fears by choosing to embrace what God said as truth and acting upon it.
• His reputation before men, and the seeming impact it would have on his livelihood
• His marital rights of intimacy until Jesus was born
• His stability, as he had to move his family at a moments notice, on several occasions  as the Lord led,  in order to protect Jesus.

In this hour, let us learn from the life of a simple man, that ordinary people, like you and me can do extraordinary things that will impact lives for generations to come, if we possess a heart that is willing to forsake all and trust Him.