“Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated ‘God is with us.'” Matthew 1:22-23
REFLECTION
With the name Emmanuel, we exalt our Lord’s humble and holy birth. It brought our holy God to us as sinful people. Humbly, God came in Christ to dwell with us, his promise fulfilled. As we go forward in our daily lives, what a promise to know he is with us and promises to be with us in our sorrow. He is with us in our joy, in our sickness and in our health. This name Emmanuel is and will be our anchor when the winds of life blow.
Even before the full revelation of Emmanuel in Matthew 1:23, God promised throughout the Scriptures “I will be with you.” Emmanuel will give us confidence: “When [not “if”] you go through deep waters, I WILL BE WITH YOU [“I will be Emmanuel to you”]. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2 NLT). We praise you Lord that your name Emmanuel gives us boldness for whatever our future holds and we can trust you.
Emmanuel is a whisper and a joyous proclamation we are never alone. We exalt Christ the Lord; He is with us now and forever. Our hope is in God alone – in his presence there is fulness of joy!
PRAYER
We exalt you Christ the Lord who is with us in our neighborhoods and in our communities. We lift up the dear people of South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Utah and we ask that they sense your presence and will humbly exalt Christ the Lord our Emmanuel. Amen.
Pray for States: South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah
Pray Focus: Neighborhoods and Communities
Denise Bubeck // Deputy Director, Church Ambassador Network
