“And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, and angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.” —Matthew 1:19-20a

How was Mary pregnant if Joseph had nothing to do with it? This was so perplexing for Joseph that he worried about it until he fell asleep. Apparently, the woman he pledged to marry had committed adultery, so he wanted to end it all. As a righteous man, it was unthinkable to marry one who had sinned this way and betrayed his trust. However, he didn’t want to cause a public ruckus, so he resolved to end the betrothal quietly.

This would have destroyed the Christmas story and ended all hopes of a Messiah. Joseph was crucial for the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about the Christ coming forth from David’s royal lineage (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5-6). Why? Because Joseph himself was a descendant of David. Jesus, therefore, would have been his legal son, inheriting all the rights and privileges of being in David’s family. But if Joseph parts ways with Mary, then the plan of God fails and Jesus could not be the true Messiah.

God stepped in and intervened by sending an angel to Joseph in his sleep. The angel explains this confounding situation to him, that the child conceived in her is “from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20b). Joseph’s confusion and resolution did not worry the sovereign Lord of the universe. The all-knowing Lord knew Joseph was confused and He knew about this decision that would have ruined everything. And to bring about the fulfillment of His plan and the promise of the Messiah, God supernaturally intervened.

The Lord God still does this today. When God wants to get you back on track, He may not send an angel to you, but He will interrupt your life and intervene in unexpected (and perhaps unwanted) ways to accomplish His perfect will. Who can fathom the many times God has already done this for you? Further, He may never explain what He is doing as He did for Joseph. Have faith and trust that the good and sovereign Lord knows what He is doing. It has nothing to do with fate and everything to do with a God who does what He pleases (Psalm 115:3) and works out His plan perfectly for His people (Roman 8:28).

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He is proud to be the pastor of the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot.