Mary Was Troubled

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
Luke 1:28–29

Mary’s initial reaction to Gabriel’s words, “The Lord is with you,” was to be “greatly troubled.”

Why would she be greatly troubled after being told she’s highly favored by a dazzling angel?

Probably because she knew her Bible well.

A Pattern in Scripture

Throughout the Old Testament, when God told someone He was with them, it was always a prelude to something difficult:

• Joshua — God said He was with him before years of military campaigns to take the Promised Land (Joshua 1:5).
• Gideon — The Lord said He was with him before calling him to fight with just 300 soldiers and risk his life, nearly getting executed by his own people (Judges 6:11–12).
• Moses — God said He was with him before he risked everything to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt (Exodus 3:11–12).

When the Lord says He is with you, there’s always a good reason for it. Hard things are coming.

What Happened to Mary?

And what happened to Mary after the angel’s visit? Her life was anything but easy:

She faced the scandal and shame of becoming pregnant before marriage—a situation that could have led to her being stoned under Jewish law…

She nearly lost Joseph, who planned to divorce her quietly until God intervened through a dream…

She gave birth in a stable, far from home, without family or a midwife, laying her firstborn in a feeding trough…

She fled as a refugee to Egypt to escape Herod’s massacre, living in a foreign land to protect her child…

She raised a Son who was misunderstood, rejected by His own hometown, and accused of blasphemy…

She watched Him be arrested, falsely accused, beaten, mocked, and spat upon…

And she stood at the foot of the cross, watching her own Son die…

The Lesson for Us

As Christians, God is with us. We are highly favored.

But this doesn’t mean an easy life.

In fact, you may have walked through hard seasons that made you wonder if God had abandoned you; seasons where His presence felt distant, and His favor felt like anything but.

But consider Mary, Joshua, Gideon, and Moses. Their hardest moments weren’t evidence of God’s absence. They were the very moments He promised to be with them.

Jesus’s name, Emmanuel, means “God with us.” And He never lies. His promises are always true. His Word never returns void.

No matter what you’re facing today, live from a place of faith, believing that God is with you. Hard things aren’t proof of His abandonment. Often, they’re the very moments He uses to shape us the most.