Fear Not Because God Speaks
by Michele Bowden
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 (Matthew 1:20).
Overwhelmed with shame, Joseph may have returned home that night after his hard conversation with Mary, feeling dejected and without hope for their future.
We know he could not understand what Mary was thinking. Was she really asking him to believe she was still “innocent,” yet carrying a child? Joseph was not going to be made a fool. They made a commitment!
Heartbroken over the plans they made and the family he was beginning to imagine, Joseph’s mind may have raced with possible explanations.
We can easily imagine Joseph catastrophizing here:
Was it another man in the village?
Had Mary lost her faith?
Was she trying to dump him?
Why would she make something like this up?
Or could it really be God?
Joseph went home and resolved to end the engagement, quietly walking away. He could let Mary go with as much dignity as possible. He would not bring dishonor to his faith.
As the tape continued to play in his mind, fear built, and he likely had trouble falling asleep, tossing and turning as the questions replayed.
And then, as sleep finally came, the dream began.
In the dream, God sent an angel to show Joseph that the child conceived by the Holy Spirit was the divine way God would come into the world.
That is about as clear as it gets when hearing from God. Joseph heard God through an angel in a dream. That holy encounter gave Joseph the confidence he needed to follow the plan God had for him.
Sometimes we do not get an angel in a dream. In Matthew’s account, it feels like Joseph received an immediate answer. But we don’t know how long he waited in that space between considering, confusion, and clarity. Waiting can be the hardest place of all. It is the place where questions linger, the plot thickens, and the tapes play on repeat.
To counteract our fear, this passage reminds us that God speaks. He does so in many ways. He uses His Word. He uses other believers. He uses peace among His creation to settle our hearts. Sometimes He uses dreams or angels, and often He speaks with a still small whisper.
But what about when we do not hear from God? Is He silent? Possibly. The Bible says He is slow to anger, and James teaches that godliness includes being slow to speak. God is patient with us. Sometimes He holds back an immediate answer because He is giving us space to repent, to work on growing our faith, or to shape our trust. His silence is never meant to harm us. He loves us and has our best interests in mind.
More likely, He seems silent because we are surrounded by noise.
In a very busy season of my life, I stopped asking for prayer. I was tired of not hearing from Him on a particular topic. So, I let the noise drown out whatever message He may have been sending me. It became a lonely season.
When I finally reached a place of quieting the noise, He whispered, “I heard you.” That was all I needed. I simply needed to know that He had not missed my request.
Take time this season to quiet the noise. Sit still. Ask God the questions on your mind. Give Him your fears. Invite Him to speak. Like Joseph, we struggle not because we lack faith but because waiting is hard.
The truth we need to remind ourselves in times of silence or waiting is this: Fear not, God still speaks.
Take a few moments of quiet and listen to this song as you reflect on these thoughts.