He Comes Through on His Promises – December 22, 2022

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:22,23

He Comes Through on His Promises

“I’ll be there!” a dad says to his son as he heads off to work. The son has a basketball game, and it would mean a lot to have his dad there cheering him on. But the afternoon rolls around, and he leaves work later than he’d hoped. Then, he sits in traffic as the game clock keeps ticking. He will not be able to keep his promise to his son.

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God made a promise to his children that he’d be there. He promised that the virgin would give birth to a son, and he would be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Those plans and that promise were not tentative; they were not subject to unforeseen circumstances because the one who made the promise is God. He’s not limited in any way. There was no need for him to say, “I’ll be there, God willing,” because he is God, and it was his will to be Immanuel, God with us.

Here in the very first chapter of the book of Matthew, we see that Jesus is called Immanuel, “God with us.” In the very last chapter of Matthew, he says to all who believe in him, “surely I am with you always to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Remember who speaks that promise—Immanuel, God with us. When he says that, it’s not like when we say, “I wish I could be there in person, but I’ll be there in thought,” he means it.

The one who makes that promise is not limited in any way. Jesus, Immanuel, is still God with us. He has the power to be with us in more than just a thought. He comes to us through his Word with reassurance that our sins are forgiven and we are no longer separated from God. And he promises that he will not leave us in this world with all its problems. He will come again and take us to be with him. He lives up to his name Immanuel, God with us.

Prayer:
Come Lord Jesus and be with me through your words and promises! Amen