Christ Church Daily Devotion Dec10 2023

Joseph and Mary were going through a difficult time. Mary was pregnant before they were married, and people judged her for it. They had to go to Bethlehem for a census, and it was a challenging journey. They had to sleep in a stable with animals. But despite all of this, God provided for them. We can trust in God and depend on His word, just like the song says. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for December 10th, 2023. Today we will be reading from Luke, chapter 2, verse 1 through 5. In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Corinthians was governor of Syria, and everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him, and was expecting a child. Most of the time when we hear or start reading these verses, we continue on for several more verses, but today, let's stop at this point and consider what Joseph and Mary were going through. When we combine Matthew's and Luke's reporting about this part of the story, we can imagine what it may have been like for the young couple. For her to be pregnant before they were married, she would have been the focus of whispers and looks of judgment by people all around her. Though Joseph had been convinced by an angel that this child was from God, people from their village would have had other assumptions about her pregnancy. Even before they made the physical trip to Bethlehem, they had already been on a difficult emotional and psychological journey during the first eight months of her carrying this child. Then on top of that, they had to make the arduous journey to Bethlehem. I can only imagine what that trip must have been like for both of them, especially for her. On top of that, when they arrive, the only place for them to sleep is out in the stable with the animals, but through it all, God provided, and as you and I place our trust in God, with all of what we're going through, God still provides. Thanks be to God. Mary's Personal Worship Option As I wrote those last few sentences above, I was immediately reminded of a song that Andre Crouch sang back in the 1970s. May this chorus be your song this day and always. Through it all, through it all, I have learned to trust in Jesus. I have learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I have learned to depend upon God's Word.