Immanuel...God with us.

At Christmas time we often hear the old prophesies in the Bible which predict Jesus' birth and the promises God made regarding his birth and his life. Isaiah refers to the Messiah's coming through out his prophetic book and because of the woven tapestry of his message about the Messiah, we in the Christian church are most familiar with Isaiah's message.

When Isaiah rights about the coming of Jesus he refers to him under several different titles -  Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6)  - names to describe the triune - 3 in 1 God - as we know Him. But the name which God, Himself, gives Jesus through the prophet Isaiah is Immanuel - God with us.

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”...Therefore the Lord himself will give you^[c] a sign: The virgin^[d] will conceive and give birth to a son, and^[e] will call him Immanuel.

(Isaiah 7:10-11, 14)

God promised the people of Israel, the house of David, a sign of His presence and His enduring love - and that sign was Jesus. God told Israel that when the Messiah was born it would be God with them. And Jesus was God in human form.

When Jesus was born, He became the incarnate Son of God. He was God encased in a tiny human body. He was God with us. God fulfilled His promise to a doubting nation of Israel through the quiet and humble birth of His Son.

Immanuel, God with us, is a fitting name for Jesus, the One who understands our weakness and human frailty, because he too faced temptation, but who overcame the world so that we might always be with God.

Jesus' birth was the fulfillment of a prophecy, but more importantly it was the beginning of the reconciliation process between God and man. Jesus truly made it possible for God to be with us once again.

Scripture

Matthew 1:18-24

Quote of the Day

"What do you think of God," the teacher asked. After a pause, the young pupil replied, "He's not a think, he's a feel."

Paul Frost

Question of the Day

How do you feel God's presence with you?