Matt.1:22,23 – Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”
This was the continuation of the angelic word spoken to Joseph that night in a dream. What a dream it was; an immaculate conception, a child Fathered by God, the Savior of the world – all of this would take a lifetime to comprehend. The most stunning part of the dream was the Immanuel part, God with us. Who would this Child be? Was the angel calling this baby God?
For us today this promise is still just as amazing, God with us. God became a man and walked among us, healed the sick, performed countless miracles, died as an offering for sin, rose from the dead to defeat death, ascended into heaven where He remains to this day as our Priest, Intercessor, and Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. He is with us every moment of every day in the person of the Holy Spirit. Here is how Henry describes this word.
“The truth proved by this sign was that he was the Son of God and the Mediator between God and human beings, for they shall call his name Immanuel. Immanuel means “God with us.” It is a mysterious name, but a very precious one, God incarnate among us and therefore God reconcilable to us, at peace with us and taking us into covenant and fellowship with himself. The Jewish people had God with them in types and shadows, dwelling between the cherubim, but never so much as when the Word was made flesh — that was the blessed Shechinah, God’s presence made visible. By the light of nature, we see God as a God above us; by the light of the law, we see him as a God against us; but by the light of the Gospel, we see him as Immanuel, God with us, in our own nature and on our side. His great work of salvation lies in bringing God and human beings together; what he intended was to bring God to be with us, which is our great joy, and to bring us to be with God, which is our great duty.”
God is with us, even better than that, God is with me. He was with me when I was in rebellion, He was with me when I first called upon His Name, He is with me in every moment, every tragedy and every victory. God is with us.
My Faith was heightened when I became pregnant out of wedlock. My divorce papers were barely dried when my family, and friends, pushed me to go on a trip with a man that I had just met. His name was Theopulis(d.5/2016)( Paul’s friend in the Bible).
I’d decided that I wasn’t going to remarry that fast; so I held onto what I knew from the word of God, so I named my Son ‘Jacob Emmanuel’ (d.5/2019) which means, “God will supply All our needs and God will be with us.” And, in spite of all the trials and hardships, everything was supplied for us! Even ways out of and through dark seasons triumphs prevailed. The joy of the Lord is my strength 🙏🏽🥳❣️Emmanuel revealed 🙏🏽