Day 1: When Perfect Plans Crumble

Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[a]: 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[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 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. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[d] (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Joseph had a plan—a righteous, sensible plan to manage his crisis quietly. But God interrupted his midnight calculations with a dream that changed everything. How often do we respond to life's unexpected turns by immediately moving into damage control mode? We create spreadsheets, strategize exits, and protect our reputations. Yet God whispers, "Stop managing. Start listening."

Joseph's faith wasn't a heroic public declaration; it was waking up and changing his mind. Today, consider where you're clinging to your own "righteous" solution.

What would it look like to pause your planning long enough to hear God's voice in your uncertainty? True faith begins when we trade our best strategies for God's presence.