December 24: God Is With Us
Scripture
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[i] for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
-Matthew 1:20-23
When we hear the promise that God is with us, we often assume that life should unfold according to our plans. If God is present, surely things will go smoothly, dreams will be fulfilled, and happiness will follow a predictable path. But the story of Jesus’ birth tells a very different story. God’s presence does not guarantee comfort or control. It guarantees purpose, even when that purpose disrupts what we expected.
Mary’s life was turned upside down by God’s nearness. She had plans, a future, and a clear path ahead, and yet God’s favor came in the form of interruption. Her pregnancy placed her in a vulnerable, misunderstood, and even scandalous position. Still, Scripture tells us that all of this happened to fulfill God’s greater plan. God was not absent in the disruption. He was deeply present in it.
Joseph’s obedience reminds us that God often calls us to trust Him without full understanding. When he woke from the dream, he did what the angel commanded, even though it would cost him reputation, comfort, and certainty. God being with them did not remove the difficulty, but it did give them the courage to move forward in faith. The presence of God doesn’t always change our circumstances. It often changes us within them.
Jesus was given two names that tell one story. He is called Jesus, because He saves His people from their sins, and He is called Immanuel, because God came to be with His people. God did not rescue us from a distance. He stepped into our mess, our weakness, and our lowliness. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human beings. God marches right in. He chooses people as His instruments and performs His wonders where one would least expect them.”
This is the heart of the gospel. God didn’t wait for us to try to rise up to Him. He came down to us, and He is with you now. Not only is He in the moments of joy, but He can also be found in the confusion, disappointment, and waiting. It is at these times that He invites us to trust that His presence is enough.
Reflection
1. What situation in your life feels out of your control right now, and how does the promise that God is with you reshape the way you hold it?
2. In what area of your life do you sense God asking for obedience without full clarity, and what would it look like for you to respond in faith, as Joseph did?
3. How does the truth that God is with you right now change the way you face your current circumstances?
Footnote
¹ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas, trans. O. C. Dean Jr. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 23.