Verse Text: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel which means, 'God with us'"
There are times in our lives that we feel all alone. It may seem that no one truly understands our struggles and difficulties in life; no friends, or family who completely get it. I think Mary and Joseph must have felt alone and misunderstood. After all they were hauling the king of the universe on the back of a pack mule and couldn’t even find a place to lay their heads. Who’s going to sympathize with that?
Our current culture today is probably not a whole lot different from that of the time when Jesus was born. We have wars, famine, poverty and plenty of spiritual leaders who say one thing but live another. Our lives are so busy, our responsibilities so many that it’s hard enough as it is to walk out our lives in faith with other believers much less try to contemplate that God is among us. I often wonder did Mary stare deep into Jesus’ face and think, these are the eyes of a Savior, or look around her world full of struggle and pain and all the while know that her cooing child had every answer and that he could meet every need. I don’t know if she could fully take in the reality of Jesus’ presence but Matthew tells us that he would be called Immanuel, God with us, so I have to believe that she at least considered it.
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I wonder when Jesus’ parents begin to realize fully that he was Immanuel. Maybe when he was teaching Bible at the age of 12 or maybe not until he turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana. I don’t have a clue, but I would bet that it was easy to love Jesus as a son, and for the first thirty years of his life, he was a lot like the other boys. But as he began to heal people, miracles became common and the crowds began to gather, everyone soon realized he was Immanuel.
For some reason we too forget that God is with us as well. Even though he may have saved us and changed our hearts, or done some miraculous thing in our lives, somehow we too can easily forget. You may feel all alone, like no one on earth could understand your situation or you may feel helpless and full of question or struggle. Please be reminded of Immanuel. God IS with us. God IS near, and he does hold every answer and can meet every need if we’ll trust in Him.
Next time you begin feeling helpless or alone, just whisper, IMMANUEL.
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