The Carol of Joseph (I Believe in You)

By For King and Country

Can’t find the words to say. No, I can’t explain but the world just changed. I’ve seen a miracle of courage, faith and a mother’s grace…I believe in you.

Can you think of any songs that were written about Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph? Not ones that mention him, but ones that are specifically about Joseph. It’s hard to come up with some, right? That’s why I was so excited when I came across this new song by For King and Country called “The Carol of Joseph.”

If you “Google” it, there are some very nice songs out there based on Joseph, mostly sung from his perspective as “The Carol of Joseph” is, but there’s not that many. On the other hand, there are quite a few songs based on Mary, the mother of Jesus.

I often wonder what it must have been like to be a part of Jesus’ earthly family. What was Jesus like as a kid? How was he raised? Did he play games with his siblings and the neighborhood kids? Did he get together for Passover with his Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Zechariah? How often did he get to see John, his cousin, and do you think they had deep theological conversations?

The person I’ve always been most curious about, however, was his “step-dad,” Joseph. There’s not much written about Joseph. A few things we know for sure is that he was a man who respected Mary and cared deeply for her (Matthew 1:19, 25), he obeyed the Lord and had great faith (Matthew 1:24, 2:14, 21), and he was a protector (Matthew 2:13-23).

It must have been scary for Joseph to be the guardian of God’s Son, to protect him and watch over the Lord made flesh. He did not take lightly the task that was appointed to him. Joseph obeyed God when he was warned to flee to Egypt and when he was told to retreat to Galilee. All this was to protect Jesus from being killed by King Herod.

I wonder if as his parents, Mary and Joseph always worried about Jesus’ safety. I can imagine Joseph always looking over his shoulder at every stop they made along their journey. However, now that I’m thinking about it, I bet those parents actually felt a peace like no other as they trusted God to keep the Messiah safe so that one day he could save his people.

“The Carol of Joseph” starts off with Joseph expressing his awe over Jesus. God has just given him the Messiah, in the form of a baby, to watch over and protect as his earthly father. He looks at Jesus and says, “I believe in you,” acknowledging that one day Jesus will grow up to be the Savior of the world. But does Joseph believe in himself as a father? “How can I be the one, the one to father the Father’s Son? How can I raise a king when this humble life is all I bring?” he asks. That’s when Mary says to Joseph, “I believe in you,” giving him the courage to take on his new role as father.

Now, we obviously don’t know exactly what was said between Mary and Joseph when Jesus was born. But together, they believed in God’s purpose for their little baby boy and in God’s purpose for choosing them as his parents. Together, they obeyed the Lord, and together the Lord used them to protect his Son.

Together, Mary and Joseph provide us with an example of what it means to obey the Lord and to have great faith. They might not have felt qualified or ready to be the parents of a king, but they chose to accept the Lord’s calling for their lives. May we all be as willing and able to obey God as Joseph and Mary were when he calls us to do his will.

“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. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:20-21

You can listen to the “The Carol of Joseph” here.