God’s Promise Begins - God With Us: Lessons from the Incarnation

“So the Master is going to give you a sign anyway. Watch for this: A girl who is presently a virgin will get pregnant. She’ll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God-With-Us).” (Isaiah 7:14, MSG)

“Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).” (Matthew 1:23, MSG)

“But the angel said, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest.’ The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob’s house forever—no end, ever, to his kingdom.” (Luke 1:30–33, MSG)

Long before Mary ever felt the flutter of movement in her womb, Isaiah spoke a startling promise: “A virgin will become pregnant.” For generations, God’s people had waited, and this promise reminded the people that God had not forgotten them. When the angel Gabriel told Mary she would carry in her womb the Son of the Most High, it must have felt both glorious and terrifying. But the message was clear—God was on the move—not with thunder and fire, but with quiet faithfulness through the humble obedience of a teenage girl.

This miraculous conception wasn’t a spectacle to wow the people. It was a sign that God was coming to his people in an unexpected way. God chose weakness over might, humility over power. And in doing so, God gave us a glimpse of what kind of King Jesus would be.

I know what it is like to wait. My middle son was born with a congenital heart defect and was diagnosed with autism at age 2. He is a happy and healthy young adult these days, but when he was child, we were not sure how he would develop. After two successful heart surgeries, his heart was no longer a concern but his sensory issues, lack of verbal communication, and social isolation were a concern. By God’s grace, we enrolled him in public school, and he remained on grade level with special education support throughout his academic career.

Some days were tough. Some days my wife and I didn’t know the quality of life that lay in the future for him. Many days there were tears. All we could do was wait and trust. We trusted in God and in his therapists, teachers, paraprofessional aides, and administrators. He did become verbal at the start of elementary school. The sensory issues began to dissipate, and he began to learn how to read and write. He continued to struggle with social interactions and complying with instructions. He fired most of the aides assigned to him, even though he didn’t have the authority to do so and we didn’t know if he would even graduate from high school. We prayed and we waited.

Fast forward years later and we watched with joy in our hearts as he walked across the stage to receive his high school diploma. We teared up that day, but it wasn’t tears of despair but tears of gratitude. We saw, like the ancient people of God, that God remains faithful to his promises, often in surprising ways. Trusting with patience and seeing the faithfulness of God reminded us that God is near, active, and present, even when we feel like God is not hearing our prayers.

Watch for God’s quiet, faithful presence in the unexpected places of your life. God is with you and tends to show up in surprising ways. As you watch and wait, offer this brief prayer:

Lord, open my eyes to see your promises unfolding around me. Help me trust that you are always moving toward us in love, even when I don’t understand your timing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.