Immanuel

God with us. That is what Immanuel means. Michael Card asked the question Sunday night, "What does God want?"
I whispered to Tim, "to be with us."
That's what Michael said too. What an amazing, humble, incredible musician he is!!

If you look at God in the Old Testament, He has always been with His people. Always. After Adam and Eve ate from the tree, and they were cowering in the garden, God was there, looking for them. The thought that they could hide from God astounds me, but hey, they did.
In the desert, He manifested His glorious self to Moses in a bush that was not consumed.
A pillar of fire.
A cloud by night.
He confined Himself to a space in a tent, called the Holy of Holies.
Then to an ornate, lavish building called the Temple. His presence was there, behind the veil.

400 years of silence. The New Testament begins with...
Gabriel the mighty angel stands in the presence of God, and he is sent on an earthly mission--see Luke 1:19--
Gabriel tells Zacharais the priest, he will be silenced, because he did not believe God's birth announcement for a baby called John.
Elizabeth, feels this baby LEAP in her womb, because John as a "fetus" recognizes the presence of another baby--holy flesh, encased in Mary's womb--Jesus Christ--the coming One--the Messiah--is on earth in human flesh!

Immanuel.

I've used the term before of" God squeezed into baby skin." I mean no disrespect to my Lord God at all, I mean to magnify the significance of a holy God, stooping to grow in a teen's womb, to be birthed in a cave with animals and all that animals bring--
and to be wrapped in rags
and laid in a feeding trough.

Immanuel.
Our God is with us.
And if God is with us,
who can stand against us?
Our God is with us,
Immanuel.
(Michael Card's song titled Immanuel)

I love you Lord,
thank You for the gift of Your Son Jesus.
You are the best gift giver ever..

thank You for Your faithfulness,
Bonnie