The prophet Isaiah wrote the words of Isaiah 7:14 nearly 600 years before Jesus was born. At the time of this writing, the Israelites were doing all the right religious things, but weren’t practicing justice as God commands. Like many prophets during Isaiah’s time, this was a warning against that injustice. But among that warning was a glimmer of hope that God would set things right.
Here, the prophet Isaiah is giving the people of Israel a reason to hope because of God’s good promise—the promise that He will provide a sign and He will show up for us. Because that’s what Immanuel means: God with us.But what does “God with us” mean for us today?It means we can share in that hope by fixing our eyes on Jesus and trusting in Him. We can trust that from Christ’s birth to His current reign in Heaven—Jesus is God with us.
He’s with us in our pain when we lose a loved one.
He’s with us in our anger when see injustice and don’t know where to turn.
He’s with us in our sadness when we grieve what has been lost.
He’s with us in our joy when we celebrate with others.
He’s with us in our peace, when we’re merciful to a suffering world.
And He’s with us in our hope, lighting the way to a brighter future.
He is with us.No matter where life has brought you to in this moment—through the good and through the bad—Jesus has been with you, drawing you to Him. He is the promised Immanuel. He is God with us.