There are times in our lives, we can feel as if God is far or distant from us. This is a lie the enemy continues to try to convince us is true and I open my Bible to read:
“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us”).” (Isaiah 7:14, NLT)
We have been given the assurance that He is with us.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew quotes the prophecy as he tells of the angel’s visit to Joseph –
“All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’†(Matthew 1:22-23, NLT)
Matthew continues to assure us, closing his Gospel with another reminder that Jesus is with us always –
“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.†(Matthew 28:30, NLT).
In telling of Christ’s birth and of His ascension, Matthew states with confidence, “Christ’s Presence is with us”.
As “God with usâ€, Jesus enables us to come boldly before God’s throne, 24/7. Any time. Any place. No limitations. He invites us to an intimate relationship with Him. He is not only with us but He listens to us. He answers us as He bends low to respond to us. May we take time to really think about this privilege we have been given.
There is no situation, no difficulty, no relationship where our God is not with us. He permeates every detail of our lives. I recently read this poem written by Patrick – a missionary, who later became better known as the patron saint of Ireland.
Christ Be With Me
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise,
Christ in the heart of every one who thinks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Christ.
May your salvation, Lord, be ever with us.
Since the beginning of time as we know it, God has been assuring man of His Presence.
As this busy time of year is upon us,may we make time to be still and be with Him.
For Immanuel made time to be with us.
Today I am joining … Testimony Tuesday and Unite and Intentional Tuesday and True Story and #RaRaLinkup and Reflect .
Taking time to be still this morning after reading your post! Thanks for sharing on the RaRaLinkup!!
And in the stillness, as we wait, He comes.
Thanks, Joanne, for the excellent reminder of “God With Us” as we move into December with the hustle and bustle that needs to be constantly kept in check so we keep this central truth the focus. Enjoyed your post as your neighbor on RaRaLinkup
Pam, I think you stated it well … we must keep the busyness in check constantly. Glad you stopped to share!
What an incredibly encouraging post, Joanne! Thank you so much for this precious reminder that GOD is always with me. GOD bless you, beautiful friend! 🙂
Tai, I think it is something we can so easily miss in the busyness of this month. He came and He is with us. Always. Blessings!
You are so very right, sweet friend and I am so grateful for HIS PRESENCE.
Thank you, Joanne. I love pondering the mystery of God being with us.
You are right in saying, God being with us is a mystery. Precious & to be regarded in awe.
Such comfort in His name! Stopping by again as your neighbor at the #RaRaLinkup. 🙂
Isn’t it amazing how simply His Name brings such depth of meaning. Grateful you stopped to share.
I have always like that St Patrick prayer. Emmanual is one of my favorite names for Jesus too. Inspiring post for Advent. Thanks!
Jean, I only read the poem recently & it so blessed me. They are powerful words for sure. Grateful you stopped here today!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful prayer, just what we need just now 🙂
I like that poem, “Christ all in me, around me, and all poured over me. I was thinking about the need for 4 Gospels. Then the thought came, in the mouth of two or three witnesses we find the truth. Each confirms the other in many ways, and in some ways the way they viewed the happenings. We can enjoy the assurance that Jesus is truly with us in every way. Thank you for sharing with us here at Tell me a Story.