When Your Good Plan Meets God’s Better Purpose

Sometimes the most world-changing acts of faith begin in the silence of a single question:

“God, what do You want me to do?”

It doesn’t come with trumpets.

It doesn’t come with clarity.

And it rarely comes with a spotlight.

It comes when something in your life breaks loose — a plan, a relationship, a dream — and you're gripping the wheel, trying to keep it all from flying off the roof. That’s when God often does His best work.

And few people in Scripture embody this better than Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus.

He’s not the main character of the Christmas story. He doesn’t speak a single recorded word in the Bible. But what he does is speak volumes. Joseph’s life teaches us that obedience isn’t about understanding everything — it’s about trusting the One who does.

A Dilemma with No Good Options

When Joseph discovers that Mary — his betrothed — is pregnant, he’s thrust into a moral and spiritual crisis. Betrothal in Jewish culture wasn’t just a promise ring and a Pinterest board; it was a binding legal contract. To break it, you had to divorce. To stay in it, you had to believe.

And from Joseph’s perspective, there wasn’t much to believe.

She’s pregnant. He knows he’s not the father. And yet… something in him refuses to shame her.

Matthew 1:19 tells us:

“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.”

This verse holds more power than we often realize. The Greek word for “faithful to the law” is dikaios — a word that in Matthew’s Gospel doesn’t mean cold legalism. It means a person in alignment with the heart of God. Not just rule-following, but covenant-keeping. Not just justice, but mercy.

Joseph’s righteousness didn’t make him harsh.

It made him compassionate.

“His righteousness made him merciful, not reactionary. And that posture opened the door for God to disrupt everything.”

Let that settle in your heart. Because too often, we associate faithfulness with hard lines and firm stances. But Joseph shows us that true righteousness listens before it reacts. And that kind of humility is precisely what makes him ready to hear from heaven.

When Obedience Feels Like a Risk

The angel’s appearance in Joseph’s dream is striking — not just for what he says, but for what he starts with:

“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife…” (Matthew 1:20)

Fear. That’s the emotion God addresses first.

Not confusion.

Not anger.

Not even disappointment.

Because God knows what fear does.

Fear clouds our vision.

Fear magnifies the cost.

Fear whispers, “You’re going to mess this up.”

And Joseph’s fear is layered. He’s afraid of breaking the Law. Afraid of wrongly condemning someone he loves. Afraid of being misunderstood by his entire community. Afraid that he’s not the man for the job.

But the angel doesn’t clear his name.

He commissions him.

“You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” (v. 21)

A private dream…

A public scandal…

And a personal call to raise the Savior of the world.

“Joseph isn’t cleared of suspicion. He’s called into it. Because God’s approval matters more than public acceptance.”

Isn’t that the fork in the road for so many of us?

God’s plan often won’t come with public applause. It may not even come with understanding from the people closest to us. But it will come with a Name — Jesus — the only One worthy of our yes.

Saying Yes When the Ending Is Still Unwritten

What Joseph does next is stunning in its simplicity:

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him…” (v. 24)

No fanfare. No bargaining. No demand for details.

Just yes.

“He didn’t wait until it was safe. He didn’t wait until it was understood. He just obeyed — because God spoke.”

And in doing so, Joseph sets the tone for the life of discipleship.

Obedience is rarely glamorous.

It usually feels costly.

And it almost never happens in ideal conditions.

But obedience is the soil where miracles grow.

“Joseph adopted Jesus… so Jesus could one day adopt Joseph.”

That line will echo through eternity. Because in naming the child, Joseph legally adopts Him. He gives Jesus a home — so that one day, Jesus could give us a heaven.

He bears the shame of a child that wasn’t his — so that child could bear the shame of a sin that wasn’t His.

This is the beauty of the Gospel.

God enters our mess, not through our clarity, but through our surrender.

So What About You?

Joseph’s story isn’t just a Christmas backdrop. It’s a mirror.

What is God asking you to do?

• Is there a hard conversation you’ve been avoiding?

• A relationship you need to reconcile?

• A call you’ve been ignoring because it’s inconvenient or unclear?

• A generosity you’ve resisted because it stretches you?

Maybe it’s a fear you’ve allowed to cloud your decisions. Or a reputation you’ve clung to that’s keeping you from full surrender. Maybe God is nudging you to trust — really trust — that His way is better, even when you don’t see how.

You don’t need to have the plan.

You just need to know Who is asking.

“God doesn’t explain the how. He reveals the Who. And when you know Who is with you, you don’t need to see the whole road — you just need the courage to take the next step.”

So take it.

Say yes.

Even if it’s quiet.

Even if no one claps.

Even if you don’t know where it leads yet.

Because on the other side of your yes… is Jesus.

And He’s always worth it.