Immanuel
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” - Isaiah 7:14
Immanuel - “God With Us,” was first mentioned in the bible in Isaiah 7:14. It was a prophecy foreshadowing the coming of Jesus.
It’s worth mentioning, “Immanuel” is only mentioned four times in the bible: three times in Isaiah (7:14, 8:8, & 8:10) and one time in Matthew (1:23). Some may be more familiar with the appearance of the Greek translation “Emmanuel -” Either spelling holds the same meaning.
For God to be with us in flesh and blood - as one who walked on this earth - it’s imperative that we understand that Jesus was the full embodiment of God, who also embodies the following: His promises, His presence, His power, His authority, His walking heartbeat, His endgame to empower his children to overcome sin and death.
Logically, I can’t understand it all; it blows my mind trying to comprehend why God would do that. Spiritually, I realize that Jesus died for me so that His Spirit could live in me. Through this, God can truly be with us and in us.
The all-encompassing manifestation of God now lives in me, and I’m determined more than ever to walk as Jesus walked, and to speak as He spoke. Thankfully, we have His Word to understand the heart of God.
To understand the meaning of “Immanuel,” we have to understand what His Word says about Him, otherwise we won’t truly believe that God is with us - even in the worst moments of our lives. If we can’t praise and glorify him on our “good days”, we more than likely won’t do it on the “bad days.”
We’re meant to live a fulfilled life in Christ. Don’t wait until tomorrow to get into His Word and say, “God, reveal yourself to me in a deeper way. Show me, through the way that only you can, how you are with me.” Do it today. God has given each of us a gift and talent to change this world for His glory, and He’s with us every step we take.
- By Xavier Caban
Ministry Leader at King’s Fire Church, Kingston, NY
xavier.caban@kingsfire.org