Today's Devotional Thought
December 23, 2010 by Rachel Piferi
Immanuel
In many Christmas songs and Christmas sermons, Jesus is referred to as Immanuel. And, as we have heard, Immanuel means “God with us.??? Isaiah told us that in the prophecy of Jesus’ birth and Matthew repeats it in his account. But, what does “God with us??? really mean?
On the surface, you can claim that “God with us??? means that Jesus is God and when he was born, he was now living among us. That He was actually with us on this Earth. And, that is true. Jesus was a man, with us on this Earth. And, God continues to be with us today.
But, the name Immanuel means so much more. In Isaiah 7, when the name is first introduced, it is discussed in the context of Jerusalem’s adversaries trying to overtake them. And, the prophecy of Jesus’ birth, and the name Immanuel, is given in the context of God’s plans to maintain Jerusalem. In fact, in Isaiah 8, the theme of Immanuel continues with a statement about God’s purposes prevailing even in the midst of evildoer’s plans (Isaiah 8:10). When God is with us, then we should not fear what others may plan. In fact, that theme can be seen further in Romans 8:31 where Paul writes, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us????
Jesus is referred to as Immanuel, which means God with us. And, for a brief time period, God was physically with us on this Earth through the birth of Jesus Christ. But even today, God is with us in Spirit. And, as it was originally introduced in Isaiah and repeated in Matthew and Romans, having God with us is so comforting. In fact, in Romans 8:35-39, Paul continues with:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus Christ is Immanuel, God with us. And, Christmas represents the love of God, where God became man and was with us physically for a time period. And today, he continues to be with us in Spirit. Isn’t it comforting to know that when God is with us that nothing can overtake that? Others will not be able to separate us from His love or thwart His plans. Invite God to be with you today and take comfort in Immanuel.
December