God with Us
"Emmanuel": "God with us." (Matthew 1:23, NIV) What does this phrase really mean? Of course we know that when Christ was born 2,000 years ago, God literally came in the flesh. He came to be with us. But the concept of "God with us" goes much deeper than that. At the core of who we are, we all long for that one other person who will always be there for us, never let us down, and share our every hurt and happiness. Despite this longing, we're faced squarely with the reality that no such person exists. As beautiful and amazing as love can be, no person perfectly fills our need for relationship.
But God does.
He gives us Himself as our portion: "Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure." (Psalm 16:5) He is the "food and drink" that we need to fill us up, to satisfy us. When we go through immense difficulties in life, we feel our weakness. We don't have the ability to control life or sometimes even to cope. Again, he is present to help: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26) He sustains us and provides strength that we don't have on our own. He enables us to go through deep waters without being drowned.
God is constant. He's always available when we need Him. (Psalm 46:1) As it says in Isaiah 41:10, "So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." He is near to share every emotion of every moment - our joys and our sorrows. He cares about even the smallest happenings in our lives. With him, we have everything we need to have a good life.
This Christmas season, let us remember that God has come to be with us. This means that we have more than we could ever want. So let us be with him. Life in His presence is full, satisfying, peaceful, and joy-filled. I can't think of a better gift to receive. "He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to those who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God...." (John 1:11-12)