Verse: Matthew 1:18-19
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.

Devotion
When Joseph received the news that Mary was already pregnant, he saw two options.  Divorce Mary quietly or have her stoned as was the custom at the time.  Being a righteous man and not wanting to expose Mary to public disgrace, he chose to divorce her quietly.  There wasn’t really anything about this situation that Joseph had in mind when he and Mary first became a couple.  But, as Joseph saw when the angel appeared to him, God had another option.  

One of my favorite books is The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, which is a biographical account of Corrie’s experiences during World War 2 as she and her family helped hide Jews in their homes and then subsequently of their experiences in the concentration camps.  Corrie and her sister Betsie began holding Bible studies in their bunk area and led a study one night about 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.  Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  As Corrie and Betsie continued to lead Bible studies, they listed off their circumstances that were not what they had in mind when they began hiding Jews.  They could find ways to be thankful for each circumstance, but not the incessant fleas that plagued the women.  However, slowly, God showed them that even the fleas could achieve God’s purpose.  The Nazi guards were terrified of the fleas and would not enter the rooms with them, giving Corrie and Betsie freedom to lead large groups of women in Bible studies every evening.  Through the darkest of circumstances, God had another option.   

God often has a third option that we don’t always see.  When we decide to do what God says, like Joseph or Corrie, we begin to have small glimpses of the ways God works and opens options totally outside of our human perspective.  Today, look at your “not what I had in mind” situations and ask God to show you His third option.

Author: Kristen Perso