IMMANUEL
The beauty of this name of God is unsurpassed.
Literally rendered, with us is God, the name echoes both the longing of God’s heart towards us and our aching emptiness without Him.
One of Satan’s most effective ploys seems to be to make use feel isolated— like nobody knows what’s going on with us, nobody understands, nobody really cares.
Alone.
Jacob’s solitary flight from his raging brother took him away from all that was safe and familiar. After several days of traveling along the ridge road through the hill country, watching his back in fear of Esau, Jacob fell exhausted to the ground near the town of Luz. Finding no shelter, he lay down to sleep with a stone for a pillow. There he slept the sleep of one exhausted from anxiety, tormented by regrets and feelings of failure. He had sinned, and that sin left him alone and afraid, his future uncertain.
Sometime during the night, Jacob had a dream. He saw a stairway between heaven and the earth he lay on. Coming up and down through that portal, Jacob saw angels busy about their task of bringing messages to the sons of men and help to the people of God.
And that’s when he heard this astonishing news that God was with him.
“I will be with you and will protect you wherever you go.
I will someday bring you safely back to this land.
I will be with you constantly until
I have finished giving you everything I have promised.”
(Gen.28:15)
Jacob woke with a start! Could it be? Had he heard right? Was God really promising to be with him no matter what? In spite of his mistakes, regardless of his failures?
The very idea scared him to death! For him to realize that God was with him changed everything. “Surely”, Jacob remonstrated, “God is in this place and I wasn’t even aware of it.”
From the beginning of Creation, God has made His presence known to His people. With Adam and Eve as they strolled together through the garden during the cool morning hours, with Abraham as he dreamed of a better life, even with Paul as he fiercely fought against His plan.
God was with each of them. And God is with you.
Do you believe that? Really? Do you believe that God is with you in the good times and the bad, no matter what? It’s easy to believe that God is with us when we’re surrounded by raised hands, swaying to the sounds of worship. But what about when you’re afraid? Or alone? Or ashamed?
Hold on to the hope of His presence.
Cling to Him when you’ve sinned and when you’ve failed.
Run to Him when no one else understands.
He is… God with us.
From My Heart,
Diane
Isaiah 7:14
Matthew 1:22,23
Genesis 28:15
Matthew 28:20
Psalm 139
Joshua 1:5
Joshua 1:9
John 14:3
Hebrews 13:5
Isaiah 43:2-5