An Unconsidered Option
Many times we face difficult situations that seem to offer no “better” choice. Every option seems to have some negative aspect to it, and we feel hemmed in and as though we are at a dead end.
Such was the case with Joseph, when he was told that Mary, his betrothed wife, was pregnant before they had come together in marriage. Betrothal was as binding as marriage, even though the relationship was not yet consummated. Mary appeared to be an adulterer, which Mosaic Law condemned with death by stoning. Besides that, Joseph’s reputation was at stake, for he needed to do the “right” thing. Add to that the heartbreak that he must have felt.
We read in Matthew 1:19-21 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Joseph’s mind was undoubtedly racing at full speed, with no apparent answer in sight. He was a just man wanting to do the right thing, but what could he do that would make any of this right? It seems that Joseph “thought himself to sleep” one night, and while he slept, God spoke to him through an angel and a dream, and showed him an option he hadn’t considered.
Are you wanting to do the right thing in a difficult situation? Might you be described as a just man or a just woman? Do you want to do that which will please God, but you don’t know what that is? Does it seem you have run out of options? Does every choice carry with it too much collateral damage?
I believe that God wants to direct us even in the toughest circumstances we might find ourselves in. Often that direction comes in a way that we had never considered. Our stress comes because we can’t find an answer. God shows His children the unconsidered option.
Proverbs 3:5-8
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
God had a perfect solution for Joseph’s problem. Joseph obeyed God, and you know the rest of the story. Joseph never would have had the courage or willpower to follow through with God’s plan unless he had been sure that God was leading him. For Joseph, waiting to discover the unconsidered option was the best thing he could have done.