Emmanuel means “God with us.” A baby boy was born and the prophecies were fulfilled. Christ’s coming was foretold hundreds of years before his birth and His task had been set. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel” (which means, God with us.) Matthew 1:28.
I know that while I was pregnant my husband and I couldn’t wait until our precious littles were born. When everything we had hoped for and dreamed was finally realized. Until we could see what they would look like, what their personality would be and what their future would hold. The anticipation was almost too much, until they laid each of our miracles into our arms.
How would it have been for God as He waited for the perfect time to welcome His son to Earth? Finally, as He ordained, Christ was to be born and salvation for all of His people would be soon realized upon the cross. The Israelites didn’t know that Christ would come as a lowly babe in a manger. They expected a King! What they received didn’t match their expectations, but what they couldn’t yet see was that He was in fact the savior that they had waited and prayed for. God was now with them and He was truly the fulfillment of His very name.
In our lives, He is here with us as well. We can see Him in a cancer that was healed when doctors said there was no hope, in the returning of our own prodigal sons and daughters that have been prayed for for so many years, or in a word of hope or affirmation that was given when only God heard our prayers of need. We also see him in our heart breaking moments of life like in loss of a child or a spouse, in the job promotion we wanted but didn’t get, or the end of dream that we have fought so hard for. Christ is here with us and because He was sent as that lowly babe and died upon that cross so that each of us can KNOW Him!
We all have a story to tell about how God has touched our lives in the lowliest of valleys or on the highest of mountaintops, but He is here with us everyday even in the most mundane times. I pray that each of us will start to see Him in our everyday moments and recognize His ever- loving fingerprints that He places on our lives. We, at #IKnowHIM, want to hear all of your stories from the small moments that impacted your life or the lives around you to the big moments that you felt time stood still as God moved in your lives. He is with us, for He is Emmanuel.
Be bold, Be brave, Be blessed!
Whitney
I love this series. It makes me want to share something that bothers me ever since I’ve been born again….. As I study and the Holy Spirit reveals more and more to me, I cringe when I watch a show on HGTV and someone sees their newly remodeled home and in my opinion uses God’s name in vain. They say, “Oh my ….”.
I’m am a newer Christian and when learning/studying the Lord’s Prayer, it says, “hallowed be thy name..” I had no idea what that meant. It means to keep holy. God’s name is holy and should never ever be used wrongly. I’ve been so guilty of this for most of my life. I praise God that he has revealed to me my sinful way of using his name. I pray that we can help others realize this as well. Love you’ll!
Isn’t He amazing! He reveals Himself to us as we are ready to receive it. All the “sudden” we see something in our lives that we need to change. He moves us slowly and closer to who He would have us to be.