Devotional: God invites us to trust Him
Written by Sunny Unachi on 12th December 2025
Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25
‘Her husband Joseph was faithful to the law. But he did not want to put her to shame in public. So he planned to divorce her quietly. But as Joseph was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.’ (Vv19-20a)
Joseph, Mary’s fiance, was a good man. His love is clear. Whilst desperately disappointed with Mary’s assumed indiscretion, ‘he did not want to put her to shame in public’. In a conservative culture, where she would have been humiliated and ruined, he wanted to protect her. It’s the very essence of love that always desires the best for the object of that love. Paul (1 Cor. 13) later described love as patient, kind, not wanting what belongs to others or that dishonours people. Love refuses to keep track of other people’s wrongs. What a high bar for relationships.
However, Joseph also encountered an angel who told him to take Mary home as his wife, and he obeyed. His heart will have been bruised, his trust tested, and Mary was now away with her cousin so unavailable to talk with. God is the source of all relationships. Indeed we only know God through our friendship with Jesus, nurtured by the Holy Spirit. Remember, God is Himself in relationship through the Trinity, reminding us of the sanctity of the commitments we make to one another.
Making a relationship work is hard. Yet God invites us to trust Him and honour our promises. Often what we assume is not the truth of a situation, and we need to talk together in the presence of God both to understand each other’s concerns and learn how we can build a stronger connection together. Family demonstrates the demands in building precious and healthy relationships.
Today Consider what kind of love you have. God wants to encourage you to develop a love that always protects, trusts, hopes, and never gives up (1 Cor. 13:7). Is this the nature of love you are ready to build in your relationships? It’s the love that God freely gives to us.
So our Action today is to put right misunderstandings where we can, determine to be honest in our friendships, and learn to love others as God loves us. Where can you begin?
Prayer: ‘Lord, it’s tough loving but help me, like Jesus, to put the interests of others before my own everyday, and always to apologise when I fail, amen’ (see 1 Cor. 13:5 & Phil. 2:4-11).
