Advent – Emmanuel God with us
Monday, December 14
Advent – Emmanuel God with us
Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23
Today our Christmas carol is O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Throughout the Scriptures we read, time after time the Israelites found themselves separated from God. Far too often they were distracted by the things of this world instead of focusing on the keeper of this world, God. And each time God would deliver them, only to be separated from His chosen people again. This theme of scattering and returning continues as a constant theme in the Old Testament; the unfaithfulness of the Israelites and the faithfulness of God. Despite all the turning away God promised to remain faithful and fulfilled the promises He made to them.
Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel.” The name Emmanuel translates “God with us.” It’s a remarkable promise that still remains true today – God is with us.
No one could have expected a baby in a manger to be the start of God’s perfect plan to be “with us.” After all His birth came with so much confusion and impossibilities. And yet, that is exactly how God fulfilled His promise. In the midst of what seemed impossible. This day I’d like to remind you that God is still with us. God the Creator of the Universe is with us.
Are you waiting for God to come through on a promise He has made? Begin to rejoice! Do you feel a sense of loneliness or exile? Rejoice! Through Jesus the Christ, God has made Himself present to us. His faithfulness is greater than our failure. And His presence is all the reason we need to, once more, rejoice!