Immanuel, God with Us

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14

In the eyes and heart of a child Christmas is a wonderful time of year; a joyful time of year. A time to bake cookies, make ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree, sing funny Christmas carols; oh, and don’t forget about the presents! As time goes by and we grow older, Christmas doesn’t seem to bring about the same joy it once did. December becomes ones of the most stressful times of the year; our wallets are stressed to the max, our time is stressed to the max, we are stressed to the max trying to get it all done. Our hearts are weary and burdened and we don’t even know why. We finally sit back and wonder, “there’s got to be something more than all this; there’s got to be something else.”

We had a birthday celebration at our house this weekend. My husband turned 5 years old. Yes, I meant to say my husband, not one of my children. He did. Really, he turned 5 years old. Okay, let me explain. We celebrated his 5^th SPIRITUAL birthday. On December 16, 2002, my husband came to know the Lord in a personal, intimate way. I remember the night Chris was baptized. Our pastor and he were talking before the service began about the difference God had made in his life. Chris said to Pastor Ray, “This is the best Christmas I have ever had.” Why? Why was that Christmas the best one he’d ever had? Because for years and years, the joy of a childhood Christmas had waned from his mind. He had, for so many years, longed for that something more to make Christmas meaningful to him. Chris finally realized it wasn’t a something he was longing for, but a Someone; it was Jesus Christ, that babe in the manger. Christmas had finally become real to him and the joy that was in his heart was greater than any childhood joy one can ever have.

All through the Old Testament, God shouts to us, “Christmas is coming! My Promised One is coming to you! The One who will fill that void of something you are looking for. He is coming!” In Isaiah 7:14, God told His people, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Immanuel means “God with us”, and that’s exactly what Christmas is all about; letting God fill the something void in our heart with the Someone who came to give us an abundant life and joy beyond measure. The true joy of Christmas, is not the childhood joy of baked cookies, ornaments, singing songs, and presents, it is knowing you’ve received the greatest gift of all- Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. It's knowing that God is no longer a religion to you, but a relationship because you've truly received Him as your Savior and Lord. It’s knowing that Jesus will never leave you, never forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). It’s knowing that Immanuel, God with us, is now God in you.

Is your heart looking for something right now? Precious sister, stop looking for something and look to the Someone, Jesus Christ who came to give you all you need. He so desires to fill your life with a joy that is inexpressible. He wants to become God in you. If you haven’t received God’s greatest gift, if Jesus Christ is not your personal Lord and Savior, what are you waiting for? None of us are promised another breath of life. Stop right now and cry out to God; He’s waiting for you and He loves you dearly. Let Him make this the best Christmas you’ve ever had.

Do you have a question? Not sure what all this means? Leave me a comment, I’d love to talk with you more. Have a story to share about your best Christmas ever, leave a comment to encourage another sister. I love you all so much!