Isaiah 7:14 (Immanuel is God with Us)

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

God is with us! "Really?" some of my readers might say. "Have you looked around? Would God really be here and let this kind of stuff happen? Is God asleep, then? Is God dead?" God is with us! "And that's great, but..." some of my other readers might say. "I'm glad God's here, but I can't just go and visit Him, and it's really hard to hear Him sometimes. Couldn't He be here stronger? Am I keeping Him away?" God is with us! "Amen," the Bible says.

"God with us" is proclaimed throughout Scripture. The prophet Isaiah wrote to the city of David, Bethlehem, that God was with them. He wrote, "the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel," (Isaiah 7:14). So, God's sign to prove His promise appeared on the first Christmas night. Just as Isaiah prophesied a virgin woman did give birth to a son (Luke 2:7), and He was called Immanuel which means "God with us." This baby boy named Jesus grew up to become a man, and after He accomplished everything He wanted to do with His life on earth (John 19:30), He lifted Himself up into heaven (Acts 1:9). So the one called Immanuel is no longer here on earth, but this does not mean that God is not with us. Isaiah gave the prophecy about Immanuel so the people of Bethlehem would know God is with them, and that promise was sealed by the sign of a virgin birth. The promise, though, was true, even before the virgin gave birth.

God lived among His people as a baby, who was
born in a real stable and laid in a real manger (Luke 2:7).
He was here on earth as someone who could be
held and fed, and He's still here as Immanuel.

Before Isaiah was born, God has said He is with us to many of His followers. One of these followers was a leader named Joshua whom God told, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go," (Joshua 1:9). Another of God's chosen was a great king named David who wrote by the power of the Holy Spirit, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me," (Psalm 23:6). There was also a prophet named Zephaniah who wrote to the people of Israel, "The Lord has taken away your punishment, He has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm," (Zephaniah 3:15). He even further wrote, "The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing,” (Zephaniah 3:17). God has always been with us.

Even when the waters won't stop rising

Even when I'm caught in the dead of a night

I know, No matter how it ends

You're with me even then

- Micah Tyler

God is present in everyone's life, for his hand has written all the people's days before any one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). His Spirit is present in the hearts of His followers, for they are His holy dwelling place and He lives in their midst (1 Corinthians 3:16). The Lord says to His obedient servants, "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand," (Isaiah 41:10). Indeed God will be with His people "always, to the very end of the age," (Matthew 28:20).

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from
Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if
I make my bed in the depths, You are there," (Psalm 139:7-8).

Yes, God is with us; no matter how anyone may respond to this. If anyone looks around they will see God's fingerprint on all of creation (Revelation 4:11). He has not abandoned the world (Hebrews 1:3), but is using all of the chaos within it to bring about goodness for His people (Romans 8:28). He is not asleep, and He is not dead (Psalms 121:4). It is for the good of His followers that no one can physically visit Him on earth, because if He remained here in flesh His Spirit would never come (John 16:7). He continues to speak to us through His word in the Bible (Hebrews 4:12), and He does not need to give us new messages as our days progress (2 Timothy 3:17, Hebrews 1:2). His Spirit is as strong in our lives as He has ordained to be so (1 Corinthians 12:11). There is nothing any of His chosen people can do to lessen His Spirit or remove themselves from God's presence (Romans 8:38-39). We know God is with us and will always be, for the virgin conceived and gave birth to a son, and we still call Him Immanuel.

Can you feel your heart begin to race?

Can you see the tide begin to change?

With all of our futures rearranged

The world will never be the same

For God is with us

Oh, God is with us!

- for KING & COUNTRY

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• Open Bible Info: God is with Us
• Micah Tyler: Even Then
• for KING & COUNTRY: For God is With Us