“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Of all the names God could have chosen, he picked one that is mostly a preposition. Immanuel. God with us.
We might have expected God for us, which would mean he is on our side. Or God above us, which would be true and safe and keep him at a comfortable distance. Or God over us, which is how a lot of people picture him anyway, arms folded, watching.
With is different. With is a word about proximity. It means near enough to touch, near enough to be inconvenienced by you.
Think about what that costs him. Being with us means hunger, sore feet, sleep, splinters. It means growing up in a family, having a hometown, going to funerals. It means eventually being lied about, arrested, and killed. God with us is not a sentiment on a card. It is the most expensive promise in the Bible.
And it is the promise most of us actually need. When someone we love is suffering, we usually cannot fix it. What we can do is sit in the room. Anyone who has been through something hard knows the difference between people who sent advice and people who showed up.
God showed up.
The hard part is believing it applies to you personally, in the specific room you are sitting in tonight, with the specific thing you are worried about. Not God with people generally. God with you.
That is the name he chose for himself. He picked it on purpose, and he has never taken it back.
Talk About It Together
Say the honest answer, even if it is the unspiritual one.
- Do you tend to picture God as with you, above you, or watching you?
- Where do you most need to know God is in the room right now?
- Who could you simply be present with this week, without trying to fix them?
Tonight’s Challenge
Show up for someone. A visit, a call, a seat next to them. No advice, just presence.
Prayer
God, You called Yourself Immanuel and You meant it. Thank You that You came close instead of staying safely above us. Be with us in the specific worries we carry tonight. Teach us to be with the people around us the way You are with us. Amen.