Hope Swaddled in a Manger

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanual” (which means God with us).
Matthew 1:23

Hope Deferred

It was Christmas Eve thirty years ago, sixteen months after my wedding. Sixteen months of unanswered prayers for a babe in my womb. Sixteen months of hope deferred when only one blue line appeared. Sixteen months of longing for something only God could give me and wondering every month why He withheld my heart’s desire.

I entered the sanctuary for the evening celebration of our Savior’s birth feeling hopeless, crushed in spirit. The story of Mary’s unexpected pregnancy brought tears to my eyes. She was a young lady, not yet married, not prepared for the baby God was placing in her womb. I was ready to become a mother- desperate for that honor.  Our stories couldn’t have been more opposite.  A terrified woman at the news of an unexpected pregnancy and a downcast woman because her womb remained empty. Two different burdens, both with the same need. We needed God with us. 

Hope Found

As I sat in that sanctuary and listened again to the story of Immanuel, a God who chose to dwell with us, I became saturated with hope. The truth of a Savior who knows me, loves me and will never forsake me resonated deep within me. I’d heard the story of Jesus’ birth countless times, but it never brought me to tears until this night. There’s something about the feeling of hopelessness that magnifies the beauty of “God with us.” I was overwhelmed by the reality of His presence while I fixed my eyes solely on Jesus Christ. Before I realized it, the temporal sorrows in my world paled in comparison to the gratitude that filled my heart. I longed for a baby but I had everything I needed in the baby who arrived in a barn and slept in a manger.  

My circumstances didn’t change that evening, but my faith was strengthened. As a Biblical counselor and someone who has served several years in women’s ministry, I’ve realized there’s one thing we all need in our journey. That one thing is hope and it can only be found when we shift our gaze from the things of this world to the author and perfector of our faith.

When our marriages are failing, we long for hope.

When the diagnosis terrifies us, we long for hope.

When our children are prodigals, we long for hope. 

When fear paralyzes us, we long for hope.

When depression clouds our vision, we long for hope.

When our wombs are empty, we long for hope.

When our loved ones depart this world, we long for hope.

When addictions control us, we long for hope.

Hope Anchored

The problems are different, but the solution is the same. It’s both the name and the nature of our God. “Immanuel, God with us.” We don’t worship a God who abandons us in our greatest need. Or a God who lacks compassion when we weep.  We don’t always receive the temporal things we desire on this side of heaven. But we always have the assurance of God’s presence with us. And that promise is where we must choose to anchor our hope.

When Mary was chosen to carry God’s child, her womb became the vessel that ushered hope into the world for the people longing for the Messiah, and for all generations of people who would ever live. And that hope isn’t only for salvation, it’s also for sanctification. 

The hope we have because we love a God who is named “God with us” means that even when we feel alone, we are never truly alone. Even if our bodies are broken, He will comfort us. Even if our dreams are shattered, His perfect plan for our lives will prevail. Even if everyone we know disappoints us, God never will. Even when we sin, He doesn’t abandon us. Even when it seems He is silent, He is constantly acting behind the scenes of our vision for our good. He wrote the story of our lives, and He promises to be there with us every step of the way. He rejoices in our victories, and He weeps when we weep. Oh, the great, great love of Jesus!

Hope Sustained 

God knew that Christmas would be the last one I’d celebrate with empty arms. On the following Christmas Eve, I celebrated Christ’s birth with extreme gratitude as I held my two-week-old son in my arms. He has since blessed us with five daughters, two from my womb and three through adoption. Had I known how my year would end I may have missed my foremost need for Immanuel. I’ll never forget that season of desperation because it was in that season that God’s presence was undeniable. He had always known me, but it was in the hopelessness of waiting that I came to know Him. My overwhelming love for Jesus was what overshadowed my sorrow that Christmas Eve. And the assurance that His name means “God with us” is the only truth that sustains us. 

In His Word

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with the one who is of a contrite and lowly spirit….” Isaiah 57:15

Consider the name Immanuel, God with us. He isn’t a God who chose to only dwell in the heaven above, but also in the hearts of those He loves. Mediate of that truth today and praise His holy name for being a God who will never leave or forsake you. 

In Your Life

If you knew the end of your “seasons of desperation” how would you have behaved differently in those seasons. How can you encourage your heart now with unfulfilled longings?

We Recommend

The Promise is His Presence by Glenna Marshall. Glenna’s transparent testimony about her struggle with infertility and chronic pain, and the hope that sustained her as she clung to the promise of God’s constant presence with her.

Because He Loves Me by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick. This book provides inspiration and insight about what it means to live with the assurance of who we are in Christ as we journey through life with Him by our side. 

Let’s Connect

Brenda is a Certified Biblical Counselor and owner of Living Water Holistic Biblical Counseling. She has served in ministry for 25 years and is the Director of Women’s Ministry at her church in Casper, Wyoming. She cofounded Women of the Way, an online ministry created to encourage women through all seasons of life to cling to hope they have in Jesus Christ. Brenda plans and speaks at women’s conferences, retreats and events, writes scripts, devotionals and blog posts about the love of Jesus Christ and what it means to walk intimately with Him. She and her husband, Pete, have six children, three grandchildren and enjoy all things outdoors in her beautiful home-state, Wyoming.