Name of God - Immanuel: God with Us
Immanuel: God with Us
Daily Verse: “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
Let's Talk About It: Today's Name of God is one of the most known. We hear it in songs even to this day. It is heard more often during Christmas time, in holiday songs. Though heard often, many do not know what the name means. Immanuel is a Hebrew name that means God is with us. Some of you may have seen it spelled like this, Emmanuel(ĕ-măn'ū-ĕl). This is the Greek transliteration form of the Hebrew name.
Imagine being faced with a threat that is so terrible that the fear you have is overwhelming. And it is so overwhelming that it feels like your heart is going to fly out of your chest; your entire body shakes uncontrollably. Now imagine while in that current state, your pastor or spiritual leader tells you to fear not…God is with us. This is perhaps the best possible news anyone could receive. How would you react to hearing this?
In chapter seven of the Book of Isaiah, we read that a similar situation has come upon King Ahaz of Judah and his people. A war was declared against them, and word has gotten through that one of the opposing kings has occupied the land that borders Judah. Scripture tells us that, “when it became known…the heart of Ahaz and the hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest shaking in the wind” (Isaiah 7:2 HCSB). God told Isaiah to tell Ahaz not to be afraid, nothing will happen to them. The plans of the enemy will not succeed, but “if you do not stand firm in your faith then you will not stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9 HCSB).
Skipping ahead, God said a sign will be given. This is where the birth of Jesus is prophesied. The name mentioned to Ahaz was Immanuel (we know Him as Jesus). In my opinion, God could not have given a better assurance and pep talk than this! Studying it out and diving deeper, we know that Immanuel is Jesus, part of the Holy Trinity, and is God (John 1:1 HCSB). He is the Word. Immanuel healed, taught, resurrected, fed, delivered, encouraged, and comforted while in the flesh amongst His people. Knowing who He is, you can affirm that God was with them in spirit and in the natural.
As my wife has mentioned in one of the Names of God post, we recently faced a Category 4 hurricane that was coming directly for us. I admit, fear did come over me briefly, then I remembered I am a child of God and we serve an awesome God. I went into immediate pray in preparation for what was to come. As the storm approached in the night, the sounds of the powerful and destructive winds and rain could be heard. It was intense.
We live in the rural part of our city, which means trees are all around us. My wife and I sang a praise song, we prayed, and stood firm on our faith in God. We could have evacuated but chose to stand firm with our faith in Him. Several trees fell close to our home, yet they fell in a direction that didn’t land on any structure. The large pond in our yard flooded and now looks like a lake. It overflowed well into our yard, yet no flood damage.
Immanuel…Jesus…God was with us. Was there a situation in your life that you can testify to that God was with you? If so, please leave us a comment and tell us. We will be happy to read it. And our God will too, for He is magnified and glorified by our testimonies. Continue to pray daily and stand firm in your faith in Him. The reward will be greater than you can humanly imagine. May God always be with you. Glory to God! – Kevin