The Sign We Didn’t Ask For
Scripture: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7.14)
MAIN POINT: God gives us the sign we need, not the one we want.
When Isaiah spoke these words to King Ahaz, enemies threatened Jerusalem. Ahaz needed reassurance but refused to ask God for a sign. God gave one anyway: a virgin would conceive and bear a son called Immanuel. It seemed absurdly impractical. How would a future birth help with an immediate military threat? Yet God was working on a timeline far beyond Ahaz’s concerns.
Eight centuries later, Joseph faced his own crisis: a pregnant fiancée and shattered future. God gave him a dream connecting him to Isaiah’s prophecy. The child in Mary’s womb was the fulfillment of God’s promise. What looked like disaster was divine intervention on a cosmic scale.
We often want signs on our terms—immediate solutions to immediate problems. Instead, God gives us Jesus. Immanuel. God with us in the mess, in the waiting, in what doesn’t make sense. This is the sign we need: God Himself entering our chaos to save us.
Reflection: God’s timeline and solutions are bigger than our crises because His plan is our eternal redemption. What immediate problem are you asking God to solve when He might be doing something far greater? How does Isaiah’s prophecy speak to your situation?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive me for wanting signs on my terms and answers that fit my timeline. Thank You for giving me Jesus—Immanuel—the sign I truly need. Help me trust Your bigger story. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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