Gina Caswell Kelly
“And they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:23
Immanuel – God with us. Has there ever been a more perfect time to have a Savior who goes by the name Immanuel? We need God with us during these days. Of course, we always need Him, but how comforting is it to know that He is with us as we have gone through such a long stretch of seemingly dark days.
I have always felt that we do not call our Heavenly Father, Immanuel nearly as much as we should. It is such a great description of who He really is. He truly is with us all day, every day. No matter what. Even when you feel the most alone, Immanuel is there. When you feel loss that you don’t think you can stand, Immanuel is there. When there is not enough money for the things you need, Immanuel is there. God truly is with us.
And it is so much more than just being by our side. He is WITH us, meaning He is on our side. He wants our hearts to have peace. He wants us to not worry. He wants us to be happy. He wants the very best for us. He is with us. The question is, are we with Him?
The interesting thing about God is that He does not force His will on us. He has given us free will to choose Him or to not choose Him. We choose Him at the point of salvation, for sure. We choose to give our hearts to Him and to ask Him to forgive our sins. That is a done deal at that point. But, what about that daily choosing Him? We have to choose to follow Him daily. In all things.
Immanuel is certainly with us, but we must also be with Him. We must get up each day and choose that this day will be a day of following Him and listening to Him, and at the end of the day, resting in His presence. There is no better way to start your day than to invite the Savior, this Immanuel, into your day as a welcomed friend and guide. Oh my goodness! How much better our lives would be each day if we would choose Immanuel every single day!
“They shall call his name Immanuel – God with us!” Call Him Immanuel today. It will make a difference!
