Many seek hope amidst hopeless situations. King Ahaz faced a formidable challenge before the Assyrian armies of the 8th century BCE, but the prophet Isaiah encouraged him to trust God instead of armies. He announced the coming of Immanuel as a sign of "God with us." This message of God's presence returns when the angel Gabriel visited Mary before her conception of Jesus. "The Lord is with you," said the angel. Immanuel is the hope of the hopeless.