In Matthew 1:23 we read, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” What do those words speak to us that we need to hear today among all the noise of fears, losses, disappointments, confusion, and sadness?
The word “with” in the Strong’s concordance means “with, after, and behind.” Reminding us all that God is available for us no matter what we are going through in life. With us in our celebrations and with us in our loneliness. With us in our victories and with us when we feel defeated. With us to give us a hope of more to come. What a beautiful thought! God with us, literally present in the room as our promised rescuer from sin and death. With us to bridge that gap of separation from God for eternity, because He, Jesus, was willing to become our perfect sacrifice. He would live on this earth to understand our humanity, yet without ever sinning. He would die on the cross as the payment for our sins. And then He would gloriously rise from the grave to conquer the power of sin and death providing our way to spend eternity with God! All as Emmanuel. This is the reason Jesus was born, this is the hope of Emmanuel, God with us.
So, while things may seem so uncertain or unpredictable around us, be reminded that God is with us. His love is always present and sustaining us as our hope, our healer, our Savior and Redeemer! This truly is as the angels proclaimed, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11
David Price