“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:23
God With Us
Devotion based on Matthew 1:23
See series: Devotions
During World War II, a gloom swept over England as Hitler’s Luftwaffe dropped tons of death and destruction upon London. There was a legitimate fear for the safety of King George VI and his family. His staff made secret arrangements to transport the king and his family to safety in Canada for the duration of the war. Despite the urgings of his advisors, George refused to leave his countrymen in their dark hour. In fact, the king inspected a bombed-out section of London after an air raid. While walking through the rubble, an elderly man walked up to King George and said: “You, here, in the midst of this? You are indeed a good king.”
That is what the manger says to us. That God is with us in the ugly part of our lives as well as the good! He does not desert us in the darkest hour of our despair. He is there in the midst of the rubble of our broken dreams and the ruin of our tangled lives. That’s what the gift of Christmas is! GOD IS WITH US. He is with us here. That’s the most important gift we could ever receive.
God is indeed a good king. He is One who came here and lived among us. He not only sympathized with us. He took our pain for us and suffered for our sins. Through our coming King Jesus, God made peace between himself and us.
Matthew 1:23 says: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
That must be the most amazing, incredible, and comforting news there could be. That is the meaning of Christmas.
May the certainty that God is with us, in the midst of this dark world together with us, bring comfort to your soul this Christmas!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I thank you for coming to this world to be with us so that you might save me. When I face dark days, remind me that you are always with me. Amen.