December 5
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good." - Isaiah 7:14-15 (RSV)
Have you ever felt lonely and isolated? The exciting message of Advent is that God is with you! This truth is important to realize, especially in Winter seasons when we are experiencing the loneliness hard times can bring. Yet the Bible never teaches we will have problem free lives as followers of Christ. Quite the opposite. Fortunately when Isaiah predicted thousands of years ago that the Lord would send a Messiah to help us, he also gave us his name which is "Immanuel". In Hebrew this name literally means "The strong God with us". Yet being a Christian is much more than following a liturgy or creed. It is having Christ himself live in you and through you, giving strength to be the person He has called you to be. Jesus said, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age..." (Mt. 28:20) and "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Heb. 13:5). The apostle John says the Word which was God was made flesh and dwells among us, full of Grace and Truth (Jn.1:1,14) in the person of Jesus. He is now your personal Immanuel and is God dwelling with you as the Logos or Word of God in both bad and good times.
Matthew 1:23 boldly quotes Isaiah 7:14 to show how this incredible prophecy was completely fulfilled when a virgin named Mary did indeed conceive and bore a son who became Immanuel, or God with you now- even in this present Advent Season. When Isaiah says "Behold the Virgin shall conceive" he uses the emphatic Hebrew phrase, "ha almah". This means a specific chosen virgin will be the only one that ever was, or ever shall be, a mother in this way. May we too trust in and love Mary's child today, and protect and nurture him in our hearts this December as we seek to draw closer to God. This child, called Immanuel, is no less than our Lord and the Prince of the land of Judah. Who could this be, other than the heir of the throne of David, the Prince of Peace, your deliverer, and Savior of our world! Rejoice! Your God is near!
Prayer: Lord, Draw me closer to your amazing love. Amen.
Meditation For The Day: God changes loneliness to togetherness!
Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Winter Renewal Paperback – November 25, 2017, by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson (Author)
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