Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Prov 13:12)
It had been centuries since the prophets had spoken. The hope of salvation is nearly lost in the shuffle of religion – a force almost as oppressive as the tyranny of Rome. Joseph grew up hearing the same things Sabbath after Sabbath, Passover after Passover… Messiah is coming! He will rescue us!
But… it… never… happened…
But then Joseph has a dream, in which an angel appears to him. A dream. Why couldn’t it have been a real angel, in broad daylight? The take-away from this dream is that the hope of centuries is about to be realized – in Joseph’s family!
Imagine how difficult it must have been for Joseph to stake his reputation on the notion that God was going to fulfill the Promise of the Ages in his lifetime. In his family. In him.
[Incredulity]
I’m wrestling with incredulity myself this season. As a 57-year-old lifetime church-goer/leader, I’ve heard it all of my life. Jesus is coming! He will rescue us!
But… it… never… happens…
Something is different this Christmas. The hope is almost tangible. I sense a shift in the world, in my nation, in my family, and in my spirit.
I feel a strong kinship with Joseph these days.
You see – the same prophets that foretold Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem also foretold that he would rule over nations. The same Bible that tells the story of the First Christmas tells us of a second coming of this same Jesus. Could it be… soon… now?
This is the inspiration for this blog… It is the sense that we are at the dawning of a new day. It is the hope that there will be a Great Awakening, not just in my lifetime, but in the next few weeks and months. It is the conviction that the power of the lie will give way to Truth, in this generation, in this nation.
Can you feel it??
Be a Joseph. Proclaim, protect, and participate in God’s Promise to our families, to our nation, to our world.
Matt 1:18-24 (NIV)
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 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.
20 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. 21 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.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
Matt 1:9-11 (NIV)
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”