Emmanuel—God With Us

In that wonderful worship service, God is with us. In that Christmas children’s play at your local church, God is with us. In that powerful Tuesday morning men’s prayer meeting, God is with us.

To the couple discovering they will soon be parents, God is with us. To the newly engaged to be married, God is with us. To the one receiving long-awaited breakthroughs, God is with us.

In that college student’s long trip home for the holidays, God is with us. In that soldier’s deployment far from home, God is with us. In that single person’s lonely evening, God is with us. 

In that hospital room where a child is ill, God is with us. In that hospice situation where a loved one lays dying, God is with us. In that surprise job layoff, God is with us. 

To the addicted, God is with us. To the depressed, God is with us. To the most hardened hearted, God is with us.

To the mother on her knees praying for her prodigal, God is with us. To the father trying to figure out how to meet his family’s needs, God is with us. To the pastor feeling like he doesn’t have enough to give, God is with us. 

Whatever your circumstances are this Christmas season, know this: Jesus is God with us. He is our hope of Glory. He is our Savior, Redeemer, Comforter, and Friend. He cares about You. No matter who you are or what your circumstances are, He is with you and will not ever leave you or abandon you. You can call on Him. You can cry out to Him. You can rest in Him. He has answers, when you have none. He is a friend to the lonely and a comfort to the one far from home. He is God and He is with you! If you do not know Him as your Savior yet, then this is your perfect opportunity. Just acknowledge Jesus as God, accept Him as your Savior, and make Him the Lord of your life today. He is right there. Waiting. You just haven’t known it, yet.

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, ‘God with us.’” (Matthew 1:23; WBT)

Give Him 15 minutes in prayer:

  • Can you see Jesus with you in your circumstances? Thank Him for being with you through the good times and the challenging times. Know He is close to you today.
  • Intercede for as many people as you can think of today. Consider their unique situation and pray that they will know Jesus is right there with them. 
  • Send someone you have prayed for a text or give them a quick call. Go and visit them, if you have the time. Let them see Jesus through you.

A prayer you can pray:

NOTE: It is rare for me to do this, but I do choose to on occasion, and this is one of those times. In order to really get the most out of the prayer time today, you really need to go through the prayer points above. They are very personal to you and those you are familiar with. There is no way I can word what you will want to say to the Lord about your own life or about those He lays on your heart. I can’t write a prayer that tells you what to say in a text or a phone call. So today, I am asking you to go hang out with Jesus. Then, the two of you talk together about those who need to know He is with them. Go be Jesus with skin on to someone else today. Make their Christmas a little brighter. Help them to see the One the season is about. God bless you.

Today’s decree:

Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. May the world recognize Jesus this Christmas.