As we are coming out of the holiday season I have Jesus, our Emmanuel, on my mind.

Is it Emmanuel or Immanuel?? With an E or an I?

Here’s what Google had to say about that: “the answer lies in the languages behind the English translations.” With the OT written in Hebrew and the NT being written Greek we can see that the Greek favored the “E”.

There you go.

The other day I had written that I am feeling called deeper into who the person of Jesus is…His gifts are so wonderful that we (I) lose focus on Him as my salvation.

HE is THE joy of salvation.

Whether I receive anything else from Him that is good or not, I want -no, I crave- HIM to be enough!

I want to want to crave that.

The apostle Paul wrote that he considered everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them (his education, position, prestige, life of luxury and power) rubbish, that I may gain Christ {Philippians 3:8}.

He is saying that the life he had before following Jesus- all the successes he had acquired- was NOTHING and GARBAGE compared to knowing Jesus.

NOTHING and GARBAGE compared to knowing Christ as Lord.

That is IT.

Can you say that about your faith walk? I mean REALLY say it??? That NOTHING else matters but KNOWING Jesus?

Whether in comfort or in want Paul gained contentment…because of Christ.

Can you imagine living your life that way? In TRUE CONTENTMENT? Where it wouldn’t matter what diagnosis you just received…if your spouse stayed with you see or left you alone with your small children and all of the bills…if you passed or failed an exam…if your dreams were achieved or smashed into a million pieces..

Imagine that.

So yeah…I’m leaning into it. I kind of think you may be too (or at least are a little curious) because you are choosing to follow along with me while I go where this journey will take me…us.

Prior to the holidays, I had a remarkable opportunity to offer encouragement to those who are grieving in an attempt to offer them some hope through the holidays. I was able to dig into the name of Jesus as Emmanuel and found something to say about it. Since most of you didn’t get to attend those “live events” mentioned, I’ll share what I uncovered as a start into learning the personhood of Jesus: Emmanuel.

There was a prophecy of the coming Messiah that was given as a promise to God’s chosen people in the book of Isaiah…here is where we first learn that EMMANEUL will be His name:

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.

This scripture is repeated to Joseph- as in ‘Mary and Joseph’-  in a dream by an angel and told to us in Matthew 1:23.

The angel said that they were to call their son Jesus…Emmanuel…which is translated to mean GOD WITH US.

For the record: this is not a “nickname” like how I call my son Nic, Niccy.

Calling Jesus ‘Emmanuel’ is more like a description: it is GIVING SIGNIFICANCE TO HIS ROLE…to who He is.

God is WITH us because of Jesus.

The fulfillment of the Scripture through the prophecy of Isaiah that says Jesus is Emmanuel- God with us– emphasizes that GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS PROMISES IN SENDING THE MESSIAH.

When did Isaiah first received this promise of Emmanuel?

When he was living in a time of extreme political upheaval and the time was coming for the impending consequences of the people’s blatant disobedience to God. The Law of God was given to Moses way back in the beginning of the Bible; that’s when God very clearly made an agreement with His chosen people…obey me and you will receive all the promises I have offered: disobey Me and you won’t… you can’t. The people made an agreement- a covenant- with God saying they would follow Him and serve Him.

But…people are fickle and forgetful. They forgot their promise and that God was faithful to His word…especially when it came to being disciplined.

So…by the time of Isaiah- about 700 BC- the fall of the Kingdom that had been chosen by God was about to happen…God had prepared the way for it to happen and told Isaiah of His plan.

Can you imagine, being Isaiah, and KNOWING that this awful time was coming? Trying to warn people about it…to warn kings…but no one would listen; no one would change their ways?

It would be so distressing…to be a chosen prophet of God and to KNOW that DOOM is impending and no one is listening to your warning about it…

Now, our history lesson could end with the destruction of the Israel nation, but that would not be how God WORKS in history…HIS story.

You see~

God ALWAYS has a redemption plan. ALWAYS.

God is ALWAYS working things for good.

God is ALWAYS taking what was planned for evil and using it for good.

It is who He is…Goodness personified.

Our GOOD God, reveals His plan of the coming captivity of His people to Isaiah…but He also REVEALS His secret- a promise of HOPE so Isaiah and all those who WOULD COME TO BELIEVE HIM would be strengthened to press on …this promise was that there WILL be a Savior…a Messiah…that they would see Immanuel-God with us.

Later, when Joseph hears the news of his wife being pregnant before they were legally married…he is REELING from what it is that Mary had told him had happened: that she was chosen by God to be the mother of the Savior of the world.  

Times are not all that different these days in what our response might be to that kind of news.

Joseph had to have been angry. Hurt. Confused.

In those days…a woman would have been STONED to death for her betrayal. HER betrayal…like it only takes one to tango.

If Joseph turns her in…it was a death sentence against her. Or banishment. The baby would have no future either way.

And Joseph? He would have been exposed to scandal…pity…humiliation…heartbreak.

He was afraid and did not know what to do.

We are told in Matthew 1:19 that Joseph did not want to expose Mary to public disgrace so he planned to end things with her quietly…He goes to sleep with this plan in his mind as the best possible option.

That’s when Verse 20 gives us these famous words: DO NOT BE AFRAID.

Do not be afraid of what?

How about taking Mary as his wife… believing that she WAS chosen and special… that she WAS carrying the child of God…

that HE would raise and father THE Messiah.

The angel said “do not be afraid” because this child IS IMMANUEL.

Because this child IS GOD with YOU.

God’s redeeming plan has ALWAYS been a Savior…one that would REVEAL to us that God IS with us…that He is Emmanuel.

I could conclude this blog by saying you should find comfort through your hard times by simply thinking about Emmanuel– that God is with you.

However, as I am grieving today…I know it is not as easy as that.

I sure wish it was. But it isn’t.

I wish I could say that God is with us therefore in His presence we will not feel pain…or loneliness…or fear…or discouragement as we face every memory we ever had with our loved over the years and realize that those moments are now in the past.

Yet, the redeeming plan has ALWAYS been Emmanuel…God with us.

Isaiah was told this good news during a time of heated politics…we are certainly familiar with that, aren’t we?

Isaiah was told this when he knew something REALLY BAD was going to happen and there was no way to stop it because time had run out. Many of us are also familiar with how that feels because we’ve gotten an ominous diagnosis for ourself or someone we love.

Joseph was told this when he was devastated…brokenhearted…facing a changed future and a loss of his dreams…scared…confused…angry.

I have felt these things…so I am sure I am not alone in having empathy for him.

I am sure I am not alone in feeling like I need to be reassured…to not be afraid…to be encouraged…to have HOPE.

The promised hope was ALWAYS in Emmanuel…God with us.

But HOW is that a comfort to me, you ask??

God, who always WAS and always WILL BE…has a redemptive plan, a restoring plan… for you and for me…even through THESE times of grief, strife, confusion, illness, or whatever it is you may be experiencing.

I can say this because I am a living witness to it… I have SEEN  His goodness…I have seen His faithfulness as I have wandered through the valley of the shadow of death…I have seen His provision, His protection…I have seen His healing, His LOVE…

Give an AMEN in the comments if you too can say YOU HAVE SEEN HIM as well!!

Be encouraged that you will see His goodness moving in your life again.

And if you have never experienced the goodness of God?

You can ask God RIGHT NOW to begin opening your eyes to His mercy and gentleness that IS all around you.

Before Christ was born, did you know that there was 400 years of documented SILENCE after the last prophet shared a word from God? That also means there was 400 years between the time of the last book in the Old Testament being written and the New began.

There was 400 years of silence…of burdens…of fear…of worry…of oppression…

AND OF HOPE.

For 400 years, all the people of God had was HOPE THAT GOD’S WORD WAS TRUE…that a Messiah WOULD come…that He would save them…free them from captivity…end their suffering…

They clung to the promises of God to sustain them…they clung to the witnesses of God that had been written down or shared from generation to generation…they clung to their traditions- no matter how bad they felt…no matter how hopeless their situation…no matter how deep their hurt.

They went to the temple to pray and worship.

They offered their sacrifices of praise as they had been instructed.

They spoke of the faithfulness of God and of His promises that had been fulfilled and those that they BELIEVED STILL WOULD BE.

They trusted in Emmanuel.

God with us means we have HIS strength to lean on when we feel we cannot take one more step…

God with us means we have His JOY inside of us- over the wonder of who He is- despite our current circumstances.

God with us means we rest in CONFIDENCE that there will be a day when there is no more death, dying, sickness, crying, or pain …because our Emmanuel conquered the grave.

Do you WANT  hope? Do you WANT joy in His salvation??

NOW is the time to DO  something….to THINK something different.

I would encourage you to do as Isaiah did when he saw the writing on the wall of destruction and despair for the people he loved…

Do as the people of God did as they waited in an enormous time of silence…wondering if their suffering would ever end…if the promises of God were really true…if all they had lived for was for naught…

Do as Joseph did when he feared to BELIEVE in something bigger than himself…and was afraid to ACT on that belief…

REMEMBER GOD.

Put Him before you…put Him before the busyness of these days…put Him before the superficiality that drains you…

Praise Him for who He is…and dare to trust in what He WILL do.

Search for His PEACE…don’t be afraid of the quiet-where you could hear His voice as both Joseph and Isaiah could…and that place that you feel peaceful? I would encourage to return to it as often as you possibly can!

Seek EMMANUEL…God with us.

Focusing on Him WILL ease the strain…even if for only those moments of focus…but, if I can have two minutes of peace in my hour that is better than having all 60 minutes in agony.

And those two minutes?

They give me HOPE for more peace to come as I trust in Emmanuel.

That hope restores the joy of His salvation…the joy of Jesus.