Immanuel
“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
*There are two spellings of this word,
one OT and the other NT. Perhaps the difference is linguistic, for they
mean the same thing. I chose this one because it starts with I. ;)*
Though this special name is only mentioned
three times in the whole Bible, the concept flows throughout the Bible. Our God
is a big God, He is holy and just, yet He is not untouchable. This has never
been so precious to me than while living here in Taiwan.
Buddha lives in the temple, in his
little house. -But not always. Their god (i.e. demon) does not always possess
its statue. Most of the time, their god is empty and still. At best, their god
is infrequent and unreliable, only showing up possibly for special occasions or
people. His presence is celebrated, his absence strikes fear and uncertainty.
You see the same exact actions with
Elijah on Mount Carmel. (1 Kings 18:20-39) The people worked so hard to get
their god’s attention so he would come and show his presence and power. Elijah
mocked them a little bit, for it seems strange to trust in something so fallible
and limited like that. Then, Elijah prayed, and God sent fire from heaven to
accept his sacrifice. Gratefully, the
same God that proved His existence and power to Elijah and the crowds is still the
same God we serve today.
I’m so glad to know that my God is with me. The whole climax of the Bible
leads to how God visited His people in
person, to show them His love. Then, though Jesus’ physical body left the
earth, He promised the presence of His Holy Spirit in the lives of Believers.
HE IS HERE. He is Immanuel. -And He is always, forever, with me!
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His
people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of His
servant David;”
Luke 1:68-69
Comments