As we approach the year 2000 we are reminded of the urgencies of the times we are in and our race against it. As we look ahead to the challenges before us, let us pause for a moment to look back at the valiant men and women who ran their race to the finish. Some lived during the 2000 years we have just ended, others fill the scriptures with stories of their trials and exploits. Their faith and their courage have inspired us all to draw more closely and abide in the Lord Jesus Christ.

But there was one man who ran his race quietly and unto the Lord. He did not preach, he was no prophet, and although he was of the royal lineage of King David, he was a simple man whose lot in life was to live simply, deal honestly and justly with his neighbors and obey God. No book was written about him, in fact, he is barely mentioned in only two of the Gospels and then without any real honor from Matthew or Luke. He is referred to simply as the man Mary was espoused to. Portrayed as a just man, I see him as a man with a noble character and a heart for God.

Of all the men in all of Israel, Joseph had been chosen by God to raise the Prince of Heaven from birth to manhood. What an awesome responsibility and what an awesome honor.

We hear much about Mary and even do our part to honor her as blessed of all women. She had a race to run also and she ran it to the finish yet she was only part of that race, the other half being Joseph, chosen, elected, confirmed by the angel of the Lord, and endowed with the grace and the courage to meet the challenge. He may not have fully understood it at the time, but he trusted God and because God asked him to do it, he did it for him. Yes, I believe he truly loved Mary. In a time and culture where marriages were arranged, I believe their betrothal and marriage was one of love. It would be a necessary ingredient in the home of the little Prince.

Joseph remained silent. He did not betray his mission.

As mothers and fathers, or even brothers and sisters, you can identify with the responsibility and challenges of raising a child. Add to that the awesome burden of knowing you are foster-fathering God Incarnate, His only-begotten Son, providing his needs, his education, his safety, and his spiritual training. Then, realize that your own sons and daughters have become the children of God also and that they are a heritage God has given you, and made you responsible for. He will hold us no less responsible than He did Joseph.

I believe that Joseph was one of a kind. He did not seek honor or recognition among his fellowmen. He knew the fickleness of the human heart and so he put all his trust in God and listened to Him for the direction and instruction he needed.

I believe that in Heaven, Joseph is honored among all the angels, for he is certainly honored by Our Lord. He is no doubt the focus of many of Our Lord’s memories of his journey here, the wonders of his childhood and the loving hands and hearts that cared for him and prepared him for his own race. I believe that Joseph and Mary filled their children with such spiritual light that, even after the death of Joseph, (sometime before Jesus began His ministry), the family remained bonded in love and unity. That is why, when Jesus began preaching, Mary and His brothers and sisters pleaded with Him to stop speaking against their traditions, for they feared for his life.

I detect no jealousy or pride among them, for Joseph and Mary had done their jobs well. But like most mothers, Mary would never be ready to give up her son. Even if He did belong to the world He was her firstborn and she was the first to receive Him and to believe in Him. Otherwise she could never have said at the wedding in Cana, "Whatever He tells you to do, do it."

Every saint of God has a race to run. If your race seems insignificant and unimportant in your eyes, let me encourage you, it is not insignificant or unimportant in God’s eyes. Not everyone is called to preach or to build an outreach ministry. Many are called to minister unto the Lord and to Him only. He who looks on the motive and intent of the heart knows your name and your service to Him and He will honor you simply by asking you to do so.

You may never know the honor of men, but you will one day know the honor of the heavenly host and the one who called you to service. Intercession is one such calling and, in fact, is the highest calling there is. It is a service unto the Lord.and without it, no other work can survive. Whatever He has called you to do, do it as unto the Lord and not unto men. This simple message is a portion of my race - encouraging the body and sharing the joy He has given me through His Word. If it blesses you, as it blesses me, my race is on target. Let us keep running and know that our labors are not vainly measured with human hands, but with the awesome hands of an Almighty God.

In closing, may the blessings of the Peace of God, the Fellowship of Jesus Christ and the Joy of the Holy Spirit be yours and for your families this season and in the new seasons to come...

Joan Krempel

1998

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