And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,
Matthew 1:24 (NASB1995)
In recent days, I have begun a daily read of the gospel of Matthew. My purpose is to find scripture gems that I may have only given a fleeting glance in recent readings. Sometimes, we can be so familiar with some scripture that we miss things – the gospels are an example of this. As I search each chapter anew, I will apply the SOAP study; that being Scripture, observation(s), application(s), and prayer.
In this first verse today, which seems simple enough, there is a valuable lesson to learn. Joseph had a dream which he remembered when he woke up, and he obeyed the instructions that the angel of the LORD had given him. It is not that Joseph was bad; his plans for Mary were honourable and caring, but they weren’t God’s plans. I was reminded of the verse in 1 Samuel 15:22: “behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” – God commanded obedience of Joseph.
Dear Reader, we can apply this to our walk with God each day. We must be receptive to God’s Spirit talking to us in our quiet time, and maybe even in our dreams. We may have great plans for the day ahead, but God may have holy business that He needs us to attend to today – that must take priority. Godly obedience is only true if we act upon what He commands us to do. Are you being obedient to His call today?
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
