Immanuel-God With Us!

Isaiah 7:14 & Matthew 1:22 - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel - which means, 'God with us.'"

This was written about 700 years before Christ and was a prophecy given by Isaiah the prophet to Ahaz, the king of Judah. While it is part of a larger prophecy concerning Ahaz, Judah and Assyria, it also served as a Messianic prophecy because it foretold the coming of God Himself to mankind.

The Jewish people had longed for the coming of the Messiah, the King of Righteousness, for centuries. The Messiah was the fulfillment of the hopes and prayers of many people in many generations who sought their Heavenly King to rescue/deliver them in the midst of a very broken world wrought with sin and great oppression. Jeremiah 23: 5-6 states: "'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness."

Matthew, the writer of the book of the same name, repeats the prophecy (Isaiah 7:14) in Matthew 1:23 to illustrate that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah that was promised. The name 'Jesus' means "God is salvation" and the name 'Immanuel' means "God with us" which speaks of Jesus being both God and man. He was fully man so he could share in our humanity and that by His death He would destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For this reason He had to be made like us in every way, in order that He would become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He would make atonement for the sins of the people (Hebrews 2:14-15, 17-18). He was also fully God because He was, and is, the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3).

The Old Testament believers prior to Christ were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised (Hebrews11:39). But for us today, who know Him as our Lord and Savior, we have the fulfillment of what they hoped for, which is the presence of God with us!

Jesus is our Immanuel and we therefore have the riches of God's grace lavished upon us with all wisdom and understanding (Ephesians 1:8). Also,..."because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace [we] have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7).

Not only is God with us, He is also in us by the person and power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13-14 says:  "Having believed, we were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a guarantee of our inheritance in God" (Ephesians 1:13b-14a). The fact that each of us as believers has the Holy Spirit is a guarantee that we belong to God, that we have every spiritual blessing in Him (Ephesians 1:3), that our future hope of eternity with Him is very real and will be fulfilled because of His faithfulness. What a hope! What a joy! What a life we have in Him!

May God open the eyes of our hearts that they may be enlightened in order that we would know the hope to which He has called us, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe (Ephesians 1:18-19).

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (the Old Testament believers who hoped and prayed for the coming of Immanuel), let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Jesus is our Immanuel who in ages past was the unrevealed mystery of God, but who has now been made known to us as God in us and amongst us, our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

What To Do When You Are At The End Of Your Rope!

Our current recession in the U.S. is taking a toll on many families and lives. There are so many people who are either out of work or fearful that they will soon be because of the shrinking economy. Many people have lost their homes over the last few years, due to foreclosure, and many more hope and pray that it will never happen to them. In addition, personal finances are getting increasingly tight for many people yet expenses continue to rise. Bills mount, stress builds, and hope of relief seems to grow very distant. Does this sound like you or the life of someone you know? Perhaps your situation is different, yet you still feel like you are at the end of your rope. If you are in a desperate situation, whatever the cause of it, and you need to know how to get out of it then this article is for you!

There is a story in 1 Kings 17:8-24 about a widow who was in a somewhat similar situation to what I just described. She lived in Zeraphath, a Mediterranean town located near Sidon, during a time of severe drought and famine. Her situation was very desperate. Being a widow, she didn't have anyone to support her. She was the sole provider for herself and her son, who needed to be fed. Her situation was so bad that she only had enough food for one more meal. She determined, based upon her situation, that this would be her last meal. She would go home, prepare it, feed herself and her son and then after die. Horrible, isn't it?

But, God had a plan! God told His servant and prophet, Elijah, to go to Zeraphath and meet this widow. God told Elijah, who was also hungry, that He would provide him with food from this woman. Now, remember, this is the woman who had the very meager ingredients for only one meal, and from this meal she had to feed two people, herself and her son, and then after planned to die. It would seem to make more sense if God sent Elijah to the home of a king or a rich person. However, God often does things in ways that we would never conceive and has plans that are infinitely wiser than our own.

When Elijah met the woman in verse 10, she was in the midst of gathering sticks with which to cook her last meal. Elijah asked this woman to give him water and a piece of bread (vs. 11). She told him that she didn't have any bread but only a small amount of flour and olive oil with which she would make one last meal for herself and her son before they died (vs. 12). Elijah then told her not to be afraid but to go home and make the meal she planned, yet first make him a small loaf of bread (vs. 13). The prophet then said: "For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land'" (vs. 14). What a test of faith it must have been for this woman, yet what a wonderful promise. Wow!

What did the widow do? She responded in faith and obedience! She went home and did exactly what Elijah told her to do. Because of this she and her son were blessed. Verses 15-16 state that there was enough food every day for the woman, her son and Elijah, "for the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the Word of the Lord spoken by Elijah." There is more to the story which you can read about in 1 Kings 17.

What a wonderful illustration about how God delivers. It should greatly encourage us because God cares for everyone of His children, just as He did with this woman. He is our deliverer (Psalm 18:2) and our help (Psalm 124:8). The Bible says in Hebrews 4:16 that we can approach God's throne of grace [that means grace for us!] with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace [His help and empowerment] in our time of need. These are very real promises from our very real and very caring God. Psalm 9:18 says, "But God will not forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish." This is the same God who provides for the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields and promises to care even more for us (Matthew 6: 25-34).

So, how will God help you when you are at the end of your rope? First, trust in Him, knowing that He loves and cares for you with all His heart. Stand on His promises and as Proverbs 3:5-6 says: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." Second, get close to God, cling to Him and obey Him. In John 15:7 Jesus said "if you remain in Me and my Words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." Third, wait and have hope in God. Don't give up! Isaiah 40:31 states: "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Fourth, the Lord is a deliverer and He will deliver you. "The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in times of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them..." (Psalm 37:39-40).

Though being at the end of your rope is very threatening God is there with you. When you reach the end of yourself, you reach the beginning of God. Let Him reveal Himself to you in your situation and miraculously provide for you. Give Him thanks and praise in the meantime in anticipation of His deliverance.