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January 5, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n The Answer When You\u2019re Asking \u201cWhat Now?\u201d<\/strong><\/span> Lee en espa\u00f1ol<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOn the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.\u201d Luke 2:21 (NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n I can still see her 4-year-old frame dangling from the middle of the monkey bars \u2014 too far across the rungs to return to where she\u2019d started but not close enough to the other side. My daughter\u2019s confidence quaked.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat now?\u201d she muttered as her lips trembled and her arms began to shake.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been years since that moment on the playground. But when my own life is hanging in the balance, I often find myself asking the question my daughter posed: What now?<\/em><\/p>\n Perhaps you\u2019ve asked the same thing in your seasons of uncertainty or times of transition.<\/p>\n What now?<\/em> You may wonder as the clamor of the holidays fades and the quiet of the new year looms ahead.<\/p>\n What now?<\/em> You might ask as you seek freedom from painful habits, but healing feels out of reach.<\/p>\n What now?<\/em> You may murmur as you surrender your steps to God, but the way forward seems obscure.<\/p>\n The what-now moments of life can make us feel like children hanging from the monkey bars. When we’re dangling between what has been and what\u2019s to come, it\u2019s easy for our hope to falter or our tenacity to tremble.<\/p>\n But as the Nativity story comes to a close in Luke 2, Mary and Joseph show us another way to respond.<\/p>\n With the hoopla of Jesus\u2019 birth behind them, Mary and Joseph were in the in-between. The angels had returned to heaven. The shepherds had returned to their flocks. But Mary and Joseph couldn’t return to life as it was. The baby God sent to save the world had turned their world upside down. Their reputations were tarnished by those who didn’t understand the virgin birth, their family ties were likely strained, and their path forward was unclear.<\/p>\n However, instead of ruminating on what they didn\u2019t know, Mary and Joseph named what they did know.<\/p>\n Luke 2:21 says, \u201cOn the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The biblical concept of naming a child was rooted in the ancient understanding that a name expressed a person\u2019s essence. To know someone\u2019s name was to know their nature. And the name \u201cJesus\u201d means \u201cGod saves.\u201d<\/p>\n So when Mary and Joseph announced their newborn\u2019s name, they weren\u2019t just offering His identification. They were making a bold declaration: God had promised to redeem His people, and the wrinkled wonder in their arms was proof of His faithfulness.<\/p>\n Friends, the assurance Mary and Joseph declared long ago holds true for us today. Jesus is with us, and God\u2019s Word never fails. When our hope hinges on Him, we can trust the certainty of God\u2019s faithfulness over the comfort of clarity in every what-now moment we face.<\/p>\n Dear Jesus, my strength may waver, but Your faithfulness never will. Help me to place my trust in Your enduring promises, and awaken me to Your presence right where I am. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n Theology 101<\/em> starts today! This study is designed to help you approach, understand, and apply God\u2019s Word in everyday life. Whether you\u2019re just beginning your faith journey or looking to deepen your understanding, this study will give you tools to grow with confidence. Take just a few minutes each day to engage with Scripture, reflect, and pray, building a stronger foundation for your walk with Christ. Download the First 5 app<\/strong> today, and join women all over the world as we study together and encourage one another along the way.<\/p>\n Connect with Alicia on Instagram, or visit her website\u00a0for a free download of promises you can cling to when life feels uncertain.<\/p>\n Hebrews 10:23, \u201cLet us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful\u201d (NIV).<\/p>\n 2 Corinthians 1:20, \u201cFor no matter how many promises God has made, they are \u2018Yes\u2019 in Christ. And so through him the \u2018Amen\u2019 is spoken by us to the glory of God\u201d (NIV).<\/p>\n What promise from God\u2019s Word is giving you hope right now? Share your thoughts in the comments.<\/p>\n \u00a9 2026 by Alicia Bruxvoort. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n Proverbs 31 Ministries
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