A newly graduated senior from college decided that he wanted to travel to Norway to see a part of the world he thought he might never see once he started his new career. After a long flight, he ended up in a small town named Bergen and from there he took a ferry boat to the Sognefjord (the longest fjord in Norway). His first impression of this idyllic setting was almost too grand to put into words. What he could see from his vantage point was the mountains rising up above the cascading rivulets of water that were splashing down into the fjord below. Since he only had three days in that location he decided to use one of them to go exploring on a bike he had rented. Making his way through the countryside he came across what looked to him to be seven or eight streams of water all merging together into one torrential stream falling into the fjord. He was curious about these streams and decided to trek up the mountainside alone, though ill-prepared for such an arduous task, just to see this incredible beauty of nature. It was a long, hard climb to the top of the mountain but what he found when he arrived was nothing less than stunning. On top of the mountain was a pasture field with an old sheep herder’s cabin made out of rock and off in the distance a flock of sheep grazing in the grass. As he sat down for a few minutes to rest and admire the incredible view, all he could see was Norway’s longest fjord stretching out before him as far as the eye could see. Sitting there he was struck with just how much he wished he had someone else to share with him in this experience. If only one of his friends or parents had come to enjoy the sights, it would have made it all the more magnificent for him.
That’s the way God designed each of us to feel when we are going through the various experiences of life. No one ever really wants to be totally alone or feel completely disconnected from other people. For instance, when a mother is giving birth to her baby it’s normal for her to want her husband to be present for that joyous occasion. Sometimes it’s not possible, but she still longs for it to be true. Why? Because there’s just something about having those you love with you at the most important moments of life that amplifies their beauty and wonder.
The same is true during times of difficulty and hardship. When we are faced with death, divorce or some other tragedy of life, we need those that care about us most to be there to share in our grief. Nobody wants to suffer alone and feel isolated from their community of friends or family. There are times when you need to cry alone, but eventually people need others to grieve with them and share in their pain.
It’s been my experience that when a person is seriously ill or elderly and can’t take care of themselves that they usually want to know that they are not alone. A child that awakens in the middle of the night with a high fever or the flu doesn’t want to be alone. He wants his mother or father to be there to hold him. That’s just the way God made us!
When God created Adam in the Garden of Eden He said it wasn’t good that man should be alone and so He created Eve to be his companion in life. God wanted them to share their lives together as they journeyed through this world. We need the presence of others around us because loneliness is a terrible taskmaster.
It’s abnormal when people want to be left totally alone and it can even be one of the marks of a person that has a mental or emotional disorder. A common trait identified about those that are troubled in our society is that they are “loners” and “keep to themselves.” God simply didn’t design us to live in isolation from community, personal friendships and family.
This fundamental need is especially dramatized in the Christmas story as God declares to us that we are not alone.
Isaiah’s prophecy is quoted (Isaiah 7:14; cf. Matthew 1:23) and applied to the newborn Christ child in Matthew 1:23. Matthew says that Jesus will be called “‘Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” There are just three times in Scripture that this specific name is used of God: Isaiah 7:14; 8:8; Matthew 1:23. This name is from the Hebrew and is made up of three parts that literally put means, “with us is God.”
The Gospel of John expresses the same basic truth but puts it in a slightly different way. John writes, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1, 14)
This is a central message of the Christmas story that all of us must grasp because the desire to know “God is with us” is found in the heart of every person. We can face almost anything in life as long as we know we are not alone and that He is there to help us through. One of the central themes running throughout the Bible concerns God’s promise that He is with His people.
Abraham’s promise to be blessed and to be a blessing was essentially God’s promise to be with him as he journeyed to the land of promise.
To Abraham’s son Isaac God said, Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. (Genesis 26:3)
In the famous story about Jacob’s ladder at Bethel, God says to Jacob, Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you. (Genesis 28:15)
To Moses at the “burning bush” God promised, I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain. (Exodus 3:12)
To Joshua as he assumed command after the death of Moses, God said, No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua 1:5; cf. Deuteronomy 31:6)
The Psalmist David declared, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
Jesus told His disciples as He was preparing them for His departure, And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:16-18)
In the last command Jesus gave before His ascension back to Heaven, He said, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20)
The author of Hebrews quotes a great Old Testament promise when he says, Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Those are incredible promises from God about His presence with His people! Promises that many of us have claimed for ourselves at various times in our lives!
In London, there is a place called Bunhill Fields that is a very interesting cemetery - if you’re interested in cemeteries. Among those entombed there are famous people like: John Bunyan who authored Pilgrims Progress, Isaac Watts the great hymn writer, Daniel Defoe the author of Robinson Crusoe, and Susanna Wesley the mother of John Wesley, just to name a few.
Opposite the graveyard and across the road is the chapel of John Wesley, as well as the house that he built next door. On March 2, 1791, Wesley opened his eyes on his deathbed and exclaimed for the very last time these words: “The best of all is this: God is with us.”
There’s nothing so helpful or comforting as knowing Immanuel: God is with us! Because we are not alone we can face whatever tomorrow may bring our way!
Ahaz was the king over the southern kingdom of Judah and it’s in Isaiah’s prophecy to him that we first hear the name “Immanuel” spoken. King Ahaz wasn’t a good man and he was the epitome of a person questioning God’s presence. At the time he was being threatened by two enemies and was planning to look to Assyria for assistance in repelling these aggressors. Of course, this was in direct disobedience to what God had told him. When Isaiah confronted King Ahaz about the choices he was about to make, he is told that God will give him any sign he asks to bolster his confidence that God is with the nation of Judah to protect them from any antagonist. When he refused to ask God for a sign He speaks to him through His prophet Isaiah to give a sign anyway. One that is undeniable proof that He is with them to repel their enemy. And so Isaiah declares:
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
Unfortunately, Ahaz didn’t accept the sign and went on doubting and questioning God’s presence in spite of the promise He made to be with him. Within 750 years this prophecy would find its ultimate fulfilment in the birth of Jesus Christ. And, because of Christmas day, “God is with us” in a way mankind has never known before! That’s what we need to remember at this season of the year. We are not alone! He is here and He is with us!
People that fail to realize or acknowledge that “God is with us” inevitably meet with disastrous results. As the children of Israel crossed/wandered in the wilderness, their constant complaining, murmuring, disbelief, and disobedience really arose from the fundamental question, “Is God still with us?” After all the signs He had given them showing His presence they lived, at times, as if He was not really there.
The lesson they teach us is that when you fail to realize God’s presence it usually leads to nothing but chaos and confusion. A simple analogy that demonstrates my point can be found in the school classroom. When a teacher leaves the room, students will sometimes do things they might not otherwise do when the teacher is present. That illustrates the status of the children of Israel as they crossed the wilderness toward Canaan (and even after they’d entered the Promised Land --The Book of Judges) . At times they questioned if God had left the “room,” which led to their repeated complaining, murmuring, idolatry, immorality, and injustice. The Book of Judges defines it as “everyone did what was right in His own eyes.” (Judges 17:6; 21:25; cf. Proverbs 14:12; 16:25)
That’s why we must remember the name Immanuel at Christmas time. It is the constant reminder that God is with us!
There’s a cute story about two elderly, spinster sisters that lived together on a farm in North Dakota. Their farm had not received the care that it needed and was literally falling down around them. All of the farm machinery they owned was rusted and useless. The chicken coop and barn were barely standing upright. But, it wasn’t just the farm itself that was in dire need...the two elderly sisters themselves were barely making it, as well. They had weathered the storms on their farm for over 60 years and were tough as nails, but the years were really showing on them now. One of their nephews came to visit them on a fall day and decided to take a picture of the ladies with their broken down farm/farm equipment in the background. There the two sisters stood straight and stiff with their images framed by the old dilapidated farm behind them. He later sent them a copy of the picture, which they liked so much that they decided to use it as the front for their Christmas card that year. The words they had printed at the top of the card in bold black letters said, “Merry Christmas” and at the bottom the words, “God is with us...in our mess.”
That’s the message of Christmas! God came to mankind in a world that is messed up by sin. He is with us even though our lives and those around us are a mess. The message of Christmas isn’t that God comes only to those who are good and perfect. It isn’t even the message that God will protect us from all the messiness of our world. It is that He will be with us through our mess and He will not leave us alone!
What does your life look like right now? Remember the name, Immanuel...God is with us!
- He is with you in your struggling marriage and family.
- He is with you when you are fighting disease or recovering from a tragedy.
- He is with you if you are spending your first Christmas without your loved one who’s gone on to Heaven.
- He’s with you when you’re too scared to drop off your children at school and He’s with your children, too.
- He’s with you when tomorrow isn’t certain and yesterday was a mess.
- He’s with you when you’ve lost your job or the company isn’t bringing you back after the holidays.
- He’s with you when your children are breaking your heart with choices that demonstrate they don’t recognize His presence.
- He’s with you when your family and friends have turned their backs on you for following Christ.
- He is with you when you stand for the truth though it means being persecuted as a result.
- He’s with you when you are celebrating Christmas on a mission field far away from family in a culture you don’t quite understand yet.
- He’s with you when you have to make choices you could never have foreseen or you ever wanted to make.
- He’s with you when you’re alone in your house and you wonder if anybody really cares if you are alive.
- He is with you if you are in a hospital room or a nursing home, though you feel very alone right now.
- He is with you calling you to trust Him for eternal salvation that can only be received through Jesus Christ.
Listen again to the announcement of the Christmas story that originally came through the prophet Isaiah:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)
Here’s the greatest news ever this Christmas season. God came to be with us so that one day we could be with God!! That’s the Christmas story in less than 140 characters for all you Twitter users!
