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GIFT OF IMMANUEL: “GOD WITH US”

Perhaps you’ve heard the story by Christian author John Drescher about the frightened little boy who lay in his shadowy bedroom one night, trembling in terror as a thunderstorm raged just outside.

“Daddy,” he called out, please come here—I’m scared!”

“Son,” his father answered, “It’s OK—God loves you, and He’ll take care of you.”

“Yes, I know God loves me,” the boy replied. “But right now I need somebody with skin on ’em.”
Friend, have you ever wished for a God close by instead of far away? A God who knows you, understands you, and is there for you when you need Him?

This week we’re looking at the Five Best Christmas Gifts, as found in the Bible story of the birth of Jesus. Matthew, in chapter 1 and verse 23 of his gospel, quoted the Old Testament prophet Isaiah’s prediction about the birth of Christ: “‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” (NKJV).
So today, the second of our Five Best Christmas Gifts is the gift of Immanuel—a God who is with us. A God close by and not far away.

In the beginning, the Bible tells us in its first book of Genesis, God talked in person with the world’s first man and woman and spent time with them. But when Adam and Eve rebelled against God, their sin caused a separation between them and the God who created them that has existed ever since.

For many centuries God no longer spoke in person but through other avenues, such as His chosen prophets. But in time, God sent His Son Jesus to this earth, to be born as both the Son of God and the Son of man. And when Jesus was born, one name He was given was the name Immanuel—“God with us.” Now men and women could see and hear God again. They could talk with Him; they could see how He lived.

About thirty years after that first Christmas Eve, when Jesus had finished His saving ministry here on earth, He returned to His home in Heaven. But before He left this earth, He assured His followers that He would continue to be present with them: “Lo,” He promised in Matthew 28, verse 20, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (KJV)

Yet so often, it may seem—it may feel—as if God is far, far away….that back in the beginning, He may have created us all to live here on Earth, but that once we sinned, He left us here all alone. Some who believe this way call God an “absentee landlord,” who lets us live on His earth but pays no attention anymore to the planet He created—or to the people who live on it.

A few years ago, the streetside bulletin board of a church in New Mexico carried these questions: “Does God seem far away? Who do you think moved?”

Friend, if God seems far away, is it possible that He is not the one who moved? Is it possible that sometimes we feel that way because we are the ones who have drifted away from Him?

God made us for companionship with Him. He created in us a desire to enjoy a close relationship with Him. When we don’t have that close friendship, then no matter how many friends or loved ones we may have in our life, we still feel a vague, persistent alone-ness.

Isn’t it amazing that even those who can’t admit that God even exists rebel against the idea that we human beings might be all alone in the universe?

We send men into space, we land on the moon, we send unmanned probes to other planets, and we peer deep into the farthest reaches of space with our most powerful telescopes. Why? Because, our scientists tell us, we want to find out how we got here on this earth—and even more important, whether or not we’re all alone in the universe.

We don’t want to be alone. And this hope that we’re not alone expresses itself even in the books we read and TV and movies we watch. In recent years, Hollywood has produced a steady stream of movies with such titles as: “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Cocoon,” “ET: The Extraterrestrial,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Contact,” “Alien,” “Independence Day,” “The War of the Worlds,” “Star Wars,” and “Star Trek.” Sometimes the alien life forms seen on screen are depicted as friendly—and sometimes as hostile. But each of these movies reveals something about us—we at least like to ponder the thought that we have neighbors out there, somewhere.

Psychologists speak of things like “separation anxiety” and “abandonment”—feelings small children often have when they become separated from their parents. But if God truly is our Father, as the Bible plainly claims He is, then we human beings are truly His children. And at some very deep, fundamental level, we feel it intensely when we sense that God isn’t there.

And it’s not just on the level of the whole human race that we feel this way. Haven’t we all—haven’t YOU—at times felt like God was nowhere to be found?

But we can’t always trust how we feel, can we? Because if, as the church sign said, God seems far away, it’s likely that He isn’t the one who moved. Maybe we walked, ran, or just drifted away from Him. If so, we can simply go back to where we last sensed His presence.

When Jesus left, He promised to be with to the very end of the world, and He meant every word. That’s why all through the Bible, He repeated His promise to be with us. And friend, He promises not just to be with the whole human race, but with you and with me, individually. Consider this beautiful, personal assurance in Isaiah 40, verse 10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (NKJV)

At this very moment, Jesus promises to be with you.

It’s nearly Christmas. If you are fortunate, you’ll enjoy spending the holidays with your friends, your family—with those you love and care about. But perhaps instead, you’ll be among those who for any number of reasons must spend this Christmas alone, or nearly so. But do you realize that you won’t really be alone? You have one great Friend who wants more than anything to be part of your celebrations. And He is not just the tiny baby born in Bethlehem centuries ago, He is the God who is with you here and now. He is Immanuel, God with us. But also, God with YOU.

It’s not good to be alone at Christmas, but that’s not the only time of year we need companionship. This world isn’t any easy place. Life has its joys and mountaintops, yes. But it also has its heavy burdens and deep valleys. Because of sin, our world—and our lives—are filled with pain and disappointment, with dashed hopes and broken relationships, with fear of violence and the horror of war.

What burdens are you carrying? And are you trying to carry them all alone? God hasn’t promised to set everything right here on Earth until Jesus returns in person at His second coming. And even though that time is drawing very close, it hasn’t happened yet.

But even though Jesus hasn’t yet delivered us from the awful results of sin, He has promised to be with us through our problems and trials. “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ ” (Hebrews 13:5, NKJV)

God’s second great Christmas gift to you is the gift of Immanuel—God with you—the God who will never leave you.

Are you going through a divorce or separation this Christmas season? God promises that He will be with you through this trial. He will be your strong companion.

Are you depressed or anxious about your finances? God promises that He is right beside you—that He is with you—that He will walk this path beside you. His promises and wisdom are yours.

Are you grieving the loss of someone you greatly loved? God promises to be with you as the tears flow. He will be your Source of comfort and healing.

Have you wandered far from God, but now you’re trying to find Him again? Remember that He promises that He is already with you. His ears and His heart are open to you.

No matter what burdens you carry at this moment, God cares. He isn’t off in some far corner of the universe, so busy tending the planets and galaxies that He has no time for you. The Christmas gift of Immanuel is that He is with you. He’s with you now. He will be with you an hour from now, a day from now, a year from now.

A saintly man of centuries past named Brother Lawrence taught one great lesson: How to practice the presence of Christ. Friend, Christ Immanuel is already with you. He simply waits for you to accept the reality of His presence and let Him be with you, for you, and in you until the day soon to arrive when you see His face and bask in His smile.

Tomorrow, we focus on the third gift—as great a gift as we’ll ever receive: the gift of Jesus as our Saviour. Until tomorrow, then, this is Lonnie Melashenko, reminding you that it’s always true—God loves you!

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