Christmas Trust: Learning from Mary's Obedient Yes

Devotional

Day 1: Trust God when called into the unknown

You are invited to say yes even when the path ahead is unclear; like Mary, place yourself into the hands of a known God when life changes in a New York minute, trusting that God’s commission may reshape your entire future but He will lead you step by step. [10:20]

Luke 1:26-38 (ESV)
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy — the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Reflection: What one “unknown” in your life are you resisting today; will you speak a simple “yes” to God about it and ask Him for one next practical step to take this week?

Day 2: Magnify the Lord, not your circumstances

When circumstances scream louder than God, choose to make much of Jesus instead of magnifying the mess; like Mary, lift your voice to magnify the Lord and let your soul rejoice in Christ your Savior, even when your story looks small. [32:21]

Luke 1:46-55 (ESV)
And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever."

Reflection: When you find yourself scrolling or complaining about your situation, write one short sentence that magnifies the Lord (e.g., "God is faithful") and say it aloud three times today whenever anxiety rises.

Day 3: Trust the Lord, not your own understanding

Trust is built over time by remembering who God is, so refuse to lean on your own insight and instead practice depending on God’s wisdom in daily decisions so trust becomes habit, not panic. [22:54]

Proverbs 3:5 (ESV)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Reflection: Identify one daily decision where you normally rely on your own judgment; tonight ask God for guidance and pick one small habit to hand that decision over to Him for the next seven days.

Day 4: Ask God humbly; He gives wisdom generously

Bring honest questions to God—humble asking invites the wisdom He gives without reproach—and allow the answers He provides to shape your next steps even when not every detail is revealed. [28:08]

James 1:5 (ESV)
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Reflection: Bring one current question to God in prayer right now; write down any impression, Scripture, or practical next step you sense within 24 hours and act on that single next step this week.

Day 5: Don't trust riches — trust God alone

When money, people, plans, or power become the backups that compete with God, remember that none of those will ultimately sustain you; place your security in King Jesus, who alone is worthy of your obedience. [20:42]

Proverbs 11:28 (ESV)
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

Reflection: List the top two places you feel most secure (e.g., bank account, job, approval); pray asking God to reorient you, then take one tangible step this week that demonstrates trust in Him rather than in one of those backups.

Sermon Summary

We stepped into the Christmas season by asking what this time truly means for our trust in God. Christmas can feel nostalgic, pressured, noisy, or simply like survival—but being surrounded by Christmas is not the same as grasping its significance. Luke 1 brings us to Mary, a young woman facing an impossible calling with undaunted trust. Her world is turned upside down by the unknown, the unpopular, the unexpected, and the deeply uncomfortable. Yet she entrusts herself to God’s purposes and timing, and that is precisely where I want us to live this season.

I contrasted Mary’s “yes” with the common backups we often reach for when life shakes us—possessions, people, princes (politics), plans, and personal strength. None of them can bear the full weight of our souls. Scripture warns that riches fail, human help has limits, rulers cannot finally save, our plans are fragile, and our own understanding is too small. Christmas redirects us from these counterfeits to the only One worthy of trust.

Mary shows how real trust is cultivated, not conjured. First, she brings honest questions to God—humble questions that seek understanding, not control. God doesn’t scold her; He gives her enough light for the next step. Second, she chooses obedient surrender: “Let it be to me according to your word.” Christmas is a season of saying yes to God’s will even when we don’t get a full timeline. Third, she clings to God’s character instead of her circumstances. In her song, she magnifies the Lord, not the mess; she makes much of God’s holiness, mercy, power, and faithfulness. Finally, her trust endures through pain. Simeon’s warning—“a sword will pierce your soul”—comes true at the cross. The trust formed in her teens is the trust she needs in her fifties. That’s what lifelong faith looks like.

So the question lands on us: when money, people, politics, plans, and personal strength fail, who else will we turn to? Christmas answers: King Jesus. We can trust Him when life is good, when life is hard, and when life falls apart—because nothing is impossible with God, and He promises to see us through every step of the way.

Key Takeaways

1. Trust God amid the unknowns Real trust often begins where our control ends. The unknown, unpopular, unexpected, and uncomfortable expose our limits and invite a deeper dependence on God’s wisdom and presence. Like Mary, we can step forward even when the path isn’t clear, because the One leading us is faithful. [12:15]
2. Reject counterfeit trust backups Possessions, people, princes, plans, and personal strength are good gifts but terrible gods. They promise security yet cannot carry us through life’s deepest valleys or ultimate questions. Trust grows when we name these counterfeits and deliberately shift our weight onto the character and promises of God. [22:54]
3. Bring honest questions to God Mary’s question—humble and sincere—shows that faith isn’t the absence of questions but the posture we bring to them. God often gives enough light for the next step, not the entire road map. Asking Him first (not last) becomes a practice that forms wisdom, patience, and courage. [25:31]
4. Choose obedient surrender: say “yes” “Let it be to me” is not passive resignation; it’s active trust in God’s good authority and timing. Surrender frees us from the tyranny of outcomes and anchors us in God’s purposes. The Christmas story is full of holy yeses that opened the way for salvation to enter the world. [30:00]
5. Magnify God, not the mess What we magnify shapes what we feel, see, and choose. Mary magnifies the Lord, not her hardship, and her soul finds joy in the God who is holy, mighty, faithful, and near. Shifting our focus to who God is reframes pain without denying it, and nourishes sturdy hope. [32:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - Opening prayer for the season
[02:02] - Naming our trust struggles
[03:19] - What Christmas Means to Me begins
[05:35] - Don’t miss Christmas’ significance
[06:14] - Mary’s trust amid uncertainty
[08:53] - Gabriel’s announcement: Luke 1:26–38
[11:41] - Barriers to trusting God
[18:33] - Counterfeit backups we trust
[22:54] - Cultivating real trust over time
[30:00] - Obedient surrender: Mary’s yes
[32:21] - Magnify the Lord, not the mess
[35:15] - Trust that endures through pain
[37:00] - King Jesus is worthy of trust

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 1:26–38 — 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" 35 And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy— the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God." 38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Observation Questions

Read Luke 1:31–33. What specific titles and promises does Gabriel give about the child (names, throne, kingdom)? What do those words reveal about the scope of God’s plan in this announcement?
Look at Luke 1:34–35 and Luke 1:38. What exactly does Mary ask, what answer does she receive, and what is her final verbal response? Which part of the explanation do you think gave Mary enough light for the next step?
The pastor said the unknown is a primary barrier to trust—unknown, unpopular, unexpected, uncomfortable. What examples from the sermon show how Mary faced those four barriers? [12:15]
The sermon named five “backup” things people often trust instead of God. What were they, and what reasons did the sermon give for why each ultimately fails to carry the weight of a soul? [22:54]

Interpretation Questions

What does Mary’s question, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” indicate about the posture of humble faith versus unbelieving doubt? How should that distinction shape how a believer brings questions to God? (passage-based)
Why did the angel respond to Mary with an explanation rather than rebuke, and what point did the pastor make about the difference between humble questions and questions that reveal unbelief? [25:31]
The pastor argued that possessions, people, princes (politics), plans, and personal strength are unreliable backups. In what ways does Scripture (and Luke’s narrative here) show that God alone is the right object of ultimate trust? (passage + sermon connection)
The sermon highlighted Mary’s habit of “magnifying the Lord” instead of magnifying her mess. Theologically, what does it mean to “magnify” God in a crisis, and how does that reframe suffering without denying its reality? [32:21]

Application Questions

Identify one of the five backups (possessions, people, princes, plans, personal strength) that you most often lean on. Describe a recent situation when you did this. How did it help or fail you? What would trusting Jesus instead have looked like in that situation? [22:54]
Name one honest question you could bring to God this week about a current unknown or anxious situation (write the question out). Commit to praying that question daily and noting any ways God gives “enough light for the next step.” When will you start? [25:31]
What is one small, concrete “yes” you can give to God this Christmas season (a step of obedience, service, or sacrifice)? What is the first action you will take by next Sunday to demonstrate that yes? [30:00]
Pick one worry, complaint, or “mess” you tend to magnify on social media or in conversations. What is one practical step you will take this week to magnify the Lord instead (for example: memorize one truth about God’s character, start a nightly five‑minute gratitude journal, or share one testimony of God’s faithfulness with a friend)? [32:21]
Think ahead to a possible long-term trial or pain (health, loss, season of waiting). What specific evidence from your past can you list that shows God’s faithfulness? If you cannot list any, what one habit will you begin this month to cultivate trust (read two answered-prayer testimonies, keep a prayer journal, meet with a mature believer monthly)? [35:15]
Who is one person you will tell this week that you are choosing to trust King Jesus in a specific area (name the person and the area)? What will you say to them, and when will you say it? [37:00]

Sermon Clips

And it's in that moment where the unknown exists, where we need to put ourselves into the hands of a known God. That's what Mary's gonna do. But let's be honest, in the unknown moments of life, trust becomes something that has a barrier between us and it. A second thing that we'd see would become a barrier for Mary is not just the unknown, but it's the unpopular. Mary's gonna be told that she's going to have a child. Well, that's a problem. Because she's a virgin. [00:14:02] (30 seconds) #TrustInTheUnknown

But wait, right when you think that that's the most uncomfortable thing she's gonna endure, she's gonna pick up everything and run for her life to Egypt because they're gonna be warned in a dream that King Herod is bringing the hammer down and seeking to destroy the child. And so this business of living a comfortable and quiet life is out the door. God had a bigger plan and bigger purpose and all of these are barriers to Mary and to us in trusting God. [00:17:31] (31 seconds) #PurposeOverComfort

And when we find ourselves in difficult God I trust you but I got some questions along the way and like Gabriel does God is going to give us the answers we need maybe not all the answers we want but the answers that we need so first she came to God with honest questions number two she chose obedient surrender verse 38 she says may it be to me as you have said she simply says yes without a timeline without an explanation she says yes and isn't that what the Christmas story is all about. [00:28:06] (57 seconds) #SayYesToGod

If you look at each of the characters of the first Christmas celebration you see in each of them minus Herod a yes you see a yes with Mary you see a yes with Joseph you see a yes with the shepherds yes with the wise men yes with Simeon and Anna Christmas is a season of saying yes to God not no to God not maybe to God not yet to God not in a couple moments God but a yes to God friends what is God calling you to this Christmas season in this season where the Bible tells us was full of yes is is your response that is your posture yes or is your posture to do things on your own to do it in your timing and in your way. [00:29:03] (64 seconds) #SeasonOfYes

In each of these moments God had a purpose and he had a plan that competed against the plans and purposes of those Christmas characters and those Christmas characters said not my will but God your will be done no matter how difficult at times that may be this Christmas is your and my opportunity to say yes in obedient surrender to God third Mary clung to God's character not her circumstances and when trouble comes we have a decision to make we can either go and hold tightly to the situation we find ourselves in or hold tightly to our savior. [00:30:07] (52 seconds) #ClingToGodNotCircumstances

I love the word that is used in Mary's song that she sings upon visiting with Elizabeth her first words of her song is that she magnifies the Lord she magnifies the Lord she will make much of the Lord sadly today we magnify just like Mary did but we magnify different things you see we're not much in magnifying the Lord we're much in magnifying the mess we have so we get on social media and we scroll away and we type away on our feeds and we talk about how difficult our lives are how hard our circumstances are and we magnify and we love it because then people magnify our mess with us. [00:31:00] (54 seconds) #MagnifyJesus

Oh I'm so sorry oh you you are so brave and you're so strong and all of this and people make much of us but friends what Mary did is she got out of her situation she got beyond her circumstances and instead of magnifying the mess she magnified her Lord and Savior she said I will magnify the Lord and my soul will rejoice in Christ my Savior and Christmas is a time for us to make much of Jesus not our mess not our circumstances Mary says the only thing she says is that she lives in a humble estate and her idea of humble estate is not woe is me that I am small compared to how great God is. [00:31:54] (46 seconds) #MakeMuchOfJesus

And so what does Mary know about God she knows he's a holy God she knows he's an upright God she knows that he is a mighty God a faithful God a consistent God a trustworthy God and she has cultivated the character of God in her life she knew who God was and she was as would be later said in the New Testament she is convinced as to who is able to see her through this she was convinced of it and friends part of the reason why we don't trust God is we're not convinced he can handle our problems and the reason why we're not convinced he can handle our problems is because we don't know enough about him we don't know how he's handled other people's problems we don't know how he's come through we do not know that he is the God of the impossible because we haven't given enough time and attention to seeing God at work in the lives of people Mary teaches us to cling to God's character not to our circumstances. [00:32:40] (77 seconds) #KnowGodToTrustGod

And and finally and finally we're going to see that her trust in God continued even through the pain now we've got to fast forward and we'll address this in our series in the narrative that involves Simeon and Anna Mary will bring with Joseph baby Jesus to the temple to be dedicated to the Lord and when he's there Simeon picks up this baby and gushes on the baby and magnifies the Savior and says now he can go in peace into eternity for he has seen the eyes of the Messiah he's seen him face to face but in all of that magnifying of the Savior Simeon turns to Mary and says a sword will pierce your heart and maybe Mary's like it already has you know we've run for our lives you know we've had to give birth in a manger you know that we had to deal with a lot of issues in Nazareth and that was a problem yeah I get it but notice that Simeon says a soul will future tense pierce your heart and what Mary learned was that trusting God isn't just in a moment but trusting God is for a lifetime. [00:33:57] (86 seconds) #TrustForALifetime

You see 33 years from that moment Mary’s going to be in Jerusalem again with her son and people are going to be looking face to face into the eyes of her son and instead of magnifying them they're going to murder him and she's going to watch with her own eyes as people put her son on a cross so that he can die and her heart is going to be ripped out and it's in that moment the same trust that she had in God when she was 14 or 15 years of age is now what she's going to need in her 50s or 60s years of age whatever she is do the math that trust is going to be needed and friends we don't trust God in the moment we don't trust God when good things happen alone but we trust God in the lifetime when God is good and gives us blessing upon blessing but yes guys we trust God when the horrific moments happen. [00:35:23] (69 seconds) #TrustThroughSuffering

``And here's why and here's what Mary had come to and this is how we're going to close our time it's with a question who else will we turn to who else will we trust if money is not going to fix it if people aren't going to fix it or our best laid plans aren't going to fix it if the people in Washington aren't going to fix it if our own personal strength isn't going to fix it then who are we going to turn to who else can we turn to who else can we trust who else is worthy of us obeying and the answer is friends whether you know it or not whether you've not been in knowledge of this from this day back it's Jesus King Jesus is the one that we can trust we can trust him when life is good we can trust him when life is difficult we can trust him when life comes apart at the rails. [00:36:32] (58 seconds) #TrustJesusAlways

And so wherever you find yourself this morning no doubt in a myriad of places in a group this size and both here and online wherever you find yourself today would you allow yourself to push away all the different backups that we fall back on and would you place your faith your hope and yes your trust in a God who loves you who controls every moment of our lives and says I will see you through it every step of the way amen amen [00:37:31] (34 seconds) #TrustGodToday

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