Living a Faith Like Joseph: Playing the Role of Last

What is your view of fatherhood? Would Joseph be a model for us to consider?

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. 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.” - Matthew 1:20-21 NIV

Reflection

I read a devotional awhile ago that focused on the moment the angel appeared to Joseph. Imagine being him. You’re living your life, working hard, trying to be a good man, preparing to marry a young woman. Then in an instant you are told she is pregnant with a child who is not yours. He is from God.

How does a man process that? How do you live with news that changes your life in one moment and puts you on a path of protector? How do you stay a loving husband to a woman carrying a child that did not come from you?

I can’t imagine that was easy. Most of us today would struggle. I know I would. I believe my faith is strong, but probably not Joseph strong. Yet in Joseph we see one of the most humble and steady men in Scripture. A man who lived his purpose simply because he believed God. He honored what God said. He did not doubt. He did not second guess. He never asked why me. In a quiet way he became a God Warrior, steady like a superhero whose strength came from simple obedience.

Joseph does not get much attention in the Bible, but we see enough to know he was a strong and resolute man. He lived a normal life of work and service. Nothing flashy. Just solid. Maybe that made him average, or maybe that made him exactly the man God needed. Out of all the men alive, God placed this assignment on Joseph.

He was not a young man either. He had a life that worked. He had routines. Yet God interrupted all of it because He needed a man who could be steady, faithful, and willing to put himself last.

Joseph took that calling. The angel told him what happened and Joseph accepted it.

Matthew 1:24 (NIV)

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

God did not ask Joseph if he was ready. God already knew Joseph was the right man. Joseph had lived in a way that proved he could carry the mission.

So how different is Joseph’s calling from ours? If we try to be prayerful men who live decently, then aren’t we also candidates for an assignment from God? How do we respond when the uncomfortable gets thrust into our lives?

What I admire most is how Joseph lived after the moment of calling. It is one thing to get tapped on the shoulder. It is another thing to stay on the field and finish the game.

When the coach puts you in, everything gets real. You get hit. You get knocked down. You feel pain and pressure. But you cannot tap out. You were selected to play your part and others depend on you to stay in it.

Joseph stayed in it. He raised Jesus. He loved Mary. He protected his family through danger, uncertainty, and a future none of them fully understood. He put aside the fact that the child was not biologically his and chose love instead. Pure love. Steady love.

I don’t believe Joseph could do all this on his own. God prepared him. God shaped him from birth. God gave him what he needed for that mission. The same is true for us.

Each of us has a God assignment. Usually not one, but a long string of them. Some are small. Some feel impossible. How do we keep going when it feels too heavy or hopeless? How do we stay in God’s view instead of the world’s view?

The only answer is faith. Faith that grows from a relationship with the Father. Faith that trusts the One who called us. Faith that knows God has our back in the calm and in the chaos.

Some men, like Joseph, get extraordinary assignments. Others get assignments that feel ordinary on the outside but are extraordinary in heaven’s eyes. What matters is not the size of the mission. What matters is that we stay in the game. That we keep showing up. That we play our role fully.

Joseph played his role quietly and perfectly. He played the role of last. And in doing so he showed us how to live.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for the example of Joseph. Thank you for allowing his story to show us what steady faith looks like. Help us live with that kind of trust and obedience. Help us accept our roles and serve you with strength and courage. Keep us focused so the world does not pull us off our mission. When the pressure comes, rise the Holy Spirit within us and bring us back to your presence. Help us be your servants and help us be willing to be last. I pray all of this in the name of Jesus my Lord and Savior. Amen.