12 Days of God's Character: The Christmas StoryChikamu

Day 8: Immanuel, God With Us

I always love hearing the story behind someone choosing their child’s name. Sometimes it’s a family name - something obvious. Sometimes they are looking for a unique name and it sounded pretty. And sometimes, people end up seeing their baby and immediately knowing what they should be called. There is power in a name - which is why God so intentionally told Joseph probably months in advance what he should name God’s son. In Matthew 1:23, an angel of the Lord tells Joseph, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”)”. I love that the angel chooses to tell Joseph the name, instead of Mary, thus bringing him into the fold of the Christmas Story that has already started.

Immanuel comes from the Greek words Immanu (with us) and El (God) - thus meaning “God with us”. What a powerful declaration. By sending Jesus to be born as a baby, the Father was literally sending himself to be “with us”. To dwell among us, to be born fully human but also fully God, and to ultimately save us all from our sins. Yet - the name of Immanuel goes beyond just the death and resurrection of Jesus. It also points to the Holy Spirit that now lives in us as believers in Christ.

Because of this, we never have to walk alone because God is with us. We know that God cares deeply about His people and has not and will not ever stop pursuing them. We also know that God stays true to His word (after all, the name “Emmanuel” was first mentioned in Isaiah 7:14).

Where are you struggling to see God in your life today? Take a moment to reflect. Maybe you haven’t seen Him show up in your health. Maybe you haven’t seen Him clearly in your church-life. Maybe you haven’t seen him in an unfilled promise.

After you have thought of something, take a moment to whisper “Emmanuel”, reminding yourself verbally that God is with you. He has been with His people for generations and He is also with you. He will never stop fighting for you, never stop loving you, and never stop seeing you.

Take heart today, friend. God is with us!