Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” (Luke 1:26-38)

Let’s admit it. Mary and Joseph really shine among all the characters of the Christmas story.

What makes them shine is their willingness to trust God when they were asked to make difficult choices.

When Mary said: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38), she demonstrated extreme trust in the extraordinary promise of God to do the unexpected.

Similarly when Joseph “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife” (Matthew 1:24), he clearly chose to trust in the word of God.

My friend Peter Kumar (www.endtimeforerunners.org) shared a revelation the other night on Mary & Joseph that caught me off guard…in a good way, of course!

He pointed out that as much as these incidents demonstrate the trust that Mary & Joseph had in God, there is another kind of trust here that is even more important.

And that is the trust that God had in Joseph and Mary to be the earthly parents of Jesus.

Wow! Honestly, I had never considered this side of the trust equation before.

Peter then challenged us with this question: How much can God trust you?

Can God trust you with such an important assignment as what He gave Mary & Joseph?

In other words, are we trustworthy enough to be entrusted with enormous responsibility?

Those of you who flow in the prophetic know that when the Lord reveals “the secrets of the heart” of unbelievers to you, it is because He considers you worthy of such trust.  (I Corinthians 14:24-25)

Those of you who have the privilege of discipling newly born-again believers know that God is placing tremendous trust in you.

When the Lord brings those who are broken and in need of restoration to your care, is that not proof of the trust He has in you?

How do we become such trustworthy instruments in God’s hands?

Perhaps the answer is in I Chronicles 16:9. Here is how the Message translation puts it: “God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him.”

He commits His commissions to the committed. It’s just as simple as that.

The proof of total commitment is total obedience. “As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us.” (I John 4:24)

Our obedience declares: “In God We Trust” and evokes this response from God: “In You I Trust.”

Isn’t it exciting?

Please join me in this prayer:

“Father, I want to be found worthy of your trust, as Mary and Joseph were.

Lord Jesus, I commit myself totally to you.

Holy Spirit, will you please help me to stay totally committed always?

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”