God With Us in Our Uncertainty

Ben Johnson - December 7, 2025

Matthew 1:23 (NLT) - “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.’”

God with Us

Romans 15:13 (NLT) - I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him…

Peace doesn’t come from KNOWING the future; it comes from TRUSTING the God who HOLDS it.

Luke 1:26-38 (NLT) - In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.”

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

The Wrong Ways to Deal with Uncertainty

CONTROL - CATASTROPHIZING - CLOSING OFF

Finding Peace in Uncertainty

1. Draw CLOSE to God.

James 4:8 (NLT) - Come close to God, and God will come close to you…

2. SURRENDER what you can’t CONTROL.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) - Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

3. ANCHOR yourself in God’s PROMISES.

Isaiah 41:10 (NLT) - Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

We don’t NEED to know the future to walk CONFIDENTLY into it.

Life Group Discussion & Questions

BREAKING THE ICE: What Christmas tradition means the most to you and why? Or, what’s a Christmas moment you’ll never forget?

DIGGING IN: Read Luke 1:26-38 together.

1. Where do you currently feel the most uncertainty in your life? How does knowing “God is with us” shift or challenge your perspective in those areas?

2. Mary faced uncertainty with faith and God’s plan for her life. What part of Mary’s response stands out to you the most; her confusion, her questions, her surrender, or her trust? What does her example teach us about navigating our own unknowns?

3. Draw Close to God — James 4:8. When uncertainty hits, do you tend to draw close to God or drift away from Him? What practices help you sense God’s nearness in difficult seasons?

4. Surrender What You Can’t Control — Phil. 4:6–7. Which “control areas” are the hardest for you to hand over to God? What would it look like for you to actually practice surrender instead of worry this week?

5. Anchor Yourself in God’s Promises — Isaiah 41:10. Is there a promise of God that has anchored you in a past season of uncertainty? How could that same promise (or a new one) help you walk confidently now?

BRINGING IT HOME: As we walk through seasons of uncertainty, remember that God doesn’t ask us to have everything figured out. Instead, He simply invites us to trust Him. Just as He was with Mary, He is with us today, guiding us, strengthening us, and giving us peace. We can walk confidently into the unknown because the One who holds the future walks with us.