18 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

How would you have responded if you had been Joseph and the woman who you were pledged to marry told you she was pregnant even before you married her and been with her physically? The human response would be to break it off. To accept Mary would mean that people would assume incorrect things about both of them. They might assume Joseph had been inappropriate with his new bride or maybe they would assume that Mary was not a woman of good reputation having been with another man before she was wed. Joseph did not want to have to explain why the baby came so soon. He just wanted to put her away and not have to deal with the problem.
A dream changed everything. An angel came and explained how Mary had conceived this precious son and that He would be Immanuel, God with us. New questions must have abounded. How do you raise God’s Son? Will the accommodations Joseph could provide be enough? What will this mean for their lives? How will He save Israel from their sin?
God’s response was to send His messenger to say don’t be afraid. The angel gave him enough details for the moment and the assurance that God was in control.
I am sure Joseph was overwhelmed, but his response was simply to obey. What a great model for us. We don’t have to know all of the answers to our questions. We merely need to obey with what we do know. God has got the rest. We can rest in Him. Are you anxious about anything today? I challenge you to take God at His word when He says fear not, trust Him, and obey what you know to do. (Philippians 4:6-8)