As followers of Jesus Christ, we are familiar with the name Immanuel. We may even realise that this name is used of Jesus, and means, “God with us.” However, we likely have not taken this wonderful name for our Saviour to the depth that David Jeremiah does in the following devotional.
Turning Point Dr. David Jeremiah - Tuesday, December 18, 2018 - God Is With Us
Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with us. Isaiah 8:10
Do you have a personal motto? Some families have family shields with mottos expressing their values. Here’s an idea. Whether a motto or simply an awareness you carry within your heart, think of the power of the phrase: “God with us.” That’s the meaning of Immanuel.
Recommended Reading: Isaiah 46:3-4
An old volume of The Family Christian Almanac said: “There is nothing like the consciousness of Immanuel for men that are fighting the battles of life. Give me, of all mottoes, ‘God with me.’ Oh that I might write on my child’s cradle, ‘Immanuel—God with us.’ Oh, that I might write it on the threshold of every child’s entrance into wedded life: ‘Immanuel—God with us.’ Oh that I might write it on the garments that my child wears, so that they should [see] …. the motto, ‘Immanuel—God with us.’ Oh, that I might write it on every book and task. Oh that it might be inscribed on every fear and sorrow—‘God with us.’ Always and everywhere I would have for my motto, ‘Immanuel.’”1
We can endure difficulties in life because God is with us. Immanuel!
1The Family Christian Almanac: 1864 (Boston: American Tract Society, 1864), 24, condensed.