God With Us
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)
Isaiah gave King Ahaz a sign he didn’t ask for. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Matthew tells us what happened to that sign. “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet.” And he translates the name for us: “they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Sit with that for a minute. Not God watching us from far away. Not God sending a message. God with us. In a body, in a family, in a small town, in the same world where we get tired and grieve and wait.
Whatever this December looks like for you, that name is still true. You aren’t alone in it. The God who came to be with us hasn’t left.
Read it yourself
Read Matthew 1:18–25. Find the verse where Matthew explains the name Emmanuel, and the verse where Joseph names the child.
Where do you most need to remember that God is with you right now?
Emmanuel, God with us, thank you for coming close. Be near me today. Amen.