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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
Today, we look at an Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah and a New Testament visit of an angel of God to a very confused Joseph. The angel directs Joseph in what he must do to aid his intended in her circumstance. God’s angel tells Joseph the impending child’s name and its meaning.
Old Testament
‘Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)
The prophet Isaiah speaks these words to Ahaz, the grandson of Uzziah. Ahaz was on the throne of Judah. The kingdoms of Israel and Aram had marched against Jerusalem. They could not overpower the city.
The Lord spoke to Ahaz; He had just told him to stand firm in the faith. Again God spoke to Ahaz. He told the king to ask for a sign. Ahaz said he wouldn’t do that, “I will not put the LORD to the test.”(Verse 12)
Isaiah then tells Ahaz the words of our focus verse. In modern day language, God will let it be known to all that He cares for His people and will be with them no matter whether they are ‘in the deepest depths or in the highest heights’ (verse 10)
What does this mean to us who live in today’s world? God is with us no matter what our circumstance happens to be. As a nation and as a world we face trying times. But, when we stand for our faith and choose to live for Him, we bring God into those circumstances.
New Testament
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord said through the prophet. ‘ The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him ‘Immanuel’—which means ‘God with us.’”
Matthew 1:22:23 (NIV)
Matthew tells us of an angel’s visit to Joseph. He was considering leaving Mary as opposed to having he stoned. Matthew says he could have exposed her to public disgrace. (1:19)
He must have been torn by what his choices were. An angel from God visited the carpenter and spoke of the importance of the child Mary carried.
All names have meanings. The name God selected for His Son has the best meaning of all, “God with us.”
Once we accept Jesus into our hearts, God <I> is </I> with us all the time. He is even there when we don’t feel His presence.
In our present world, we see events occur that fall into the category of heart-wrenching. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to function in the face of the circumstances of this fallen world. I cannot stress enough the importance of standing for Christ because He is truly “God with us.”
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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