Daily Devotion
God With Us
By: Marissa Wolf
“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
Emmanuel is one of the names of our Lord and it means “God with us.” God is eternal which means that He exists forever. Emmanuel is so much more than just a word being sung in a multitude of Christmas worship songs, it is a name of our God and King and part of the Christmas Story.
Emmanuel is a reminder that God is always with us. He never leaves us or forsakes us. (See: Hebrews 13:5). He is with us every step of the way even when we abandon Him, God never abandons us. When things get difficult it may seem that God has abandoned us because of all of the unfortunate earthly circumstances surrounding us, but my friend, God has been there all along. If we feel distant from God then it is us who has drifted away, not the Lord. The Bible states that all things work together for good, to those that love God - even the earthly circumstances that seem rather unpleasant in the moment work together for good. (See: Romans 8:28). We just don’t always get to see the whole picture, but God already knows our every step, our rising up and our sitting down, and He is with us in the morning when we rise and when we lie down at night. (See: Psalm 139:2-4.)
There are many who feel as though they cannot be accepted by God because of the choices they’ve made in the past, as though God could not accept someone who has a tainted history. But Jesus said “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This invitation goes out to anyone and everyone who would accept Him! Another great invitation can be found in Revelation 22:17: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” The Bible makes it perfectly clear that Jesus awaits ready and willing to accept any and all who will come to Him through faith with repentance from our sins and wrongdoings.
God knows absolutely everything! He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. (See: Colossians 1:17.) He knew us before He formed us in our mother’s womb and He’s been with us ever since - every single step of the way, He has been there. (See: Jeremiah 1:5). God is always there. God doesn’t neglect us, even when we neglect Him. He loves His children and He is with each one of them at all times. For He is omnipresent and He loves each and every single one of us the same.
Emmanuel is part of the Gospel story and the birth of Jesus Christ. Emmanuel was brought to earth to be with us in the flesh. He came down as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger, conceived by His virgin mother named Mary. Emmanuel wasn’t just any child, He was and is the Son of God. God willingly came down to us in the flesh to show us His everlasting love, a love even leading to Jesus’ death on the cross as a sacrifice to set us free from the bondage of sin. This is the greatest gift of love, that God would give us—His one and only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life! (See: John 3:16.) As we head into the Christmas season, remember that God is indeed with us. That includes you, and everyone around you! There are many out in the world that do not know the love of God nor do they know He is near. Let us therefore go tell the world of the greatest Christmas gift ever given, the gift of Emmanuel. God with us.
Will you prepare Him room in your heart? Will you tell the world of the love of God and His gift of eternal life? Do you believe that God is with you always?
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Matthew 28:19-20
