All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" — which means, "God with us."
God had repeatedly promised his people his presence. During the Wilderness wanderings, he was with them with the cloud during the day, the pillar of fire at night, and in the Holy of Holies above the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle. Men, women, and angels (
1 Peter 1:10-12) had long anticipated our receiving God's presence close to them personally. Now, in Jesus, it has happened. God has come to us in his Son. Jesus is Immanuel - Immanu-El, God with us! We live on the visited planet, touched by the very presence of God among us, as one of us, who lived, died, and was raised from the dead for us.* And it was just as the prophets of old had said.
* See
John 1:1-18;
Hebrews 1:1-3; and
Colossians 1:15-23 for the declaration of these truths!
Lord God, my heavenly Father, thank you for keeping your promises, especially when it was so incredibly costly for you to do so in Jesus. You came to us in Jesus, the Son, to reveal yourself to us and show us how to live. I want to know you better, O God, not just as someone I study in Scripture, but as someone I encounter in my daily life. Please make your presence known as I seek you and use the Holy Spirit to transform me and mold me into someone who is truly JESUShaped!* In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, our Immanuel, we pray. Amen.
*
2 Corinthians 3:18;
Colossians 1:28-29.
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