According to my parents, I was afraid of sharks as a kid. My mom tells a story about going to one of those aquariums where you look through a tunnel where there are fish around and above you, but in this one it was for sharks. I would not go through that tunnel and you could not convince me to, so we had to bypass that exhibit.
Another thing I was really afraid of was scary movies. I could not watch them at all, as the images would just stick in my head and I’d be on edge for days.
That fear of scary movies came to a peak along with another fear: fear of the dark. I had just watched the movie Edward Scissor Hands, and Johnny Depp’s character was a weird, pale guy with scissors for hands. I had only watched one scene, but it was enough that I’d have this fear of Edward Scissorhands waiting in my closet with this weird expression.
Two things would make me feel better about my fear. One was having a nightlight, and the other was having someone present with me in the room. If I had either of them, I’d not only feel better, but now I’d be ready to dare Edward Scissorhands to run up on me. If my light and my mom are there, I’m ready to box Edward.
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All these years later, I think the reason why those things were so comforting to me is because I had something with me in my fear. I didn’t feel so alone or vulnerable. Having lights, or a comforting object, a family member, pet, or another person can help us feel so much more secure and confident. It’s the power of “being with.”
Immanuel: God With Us
In our series on the names of God, each name teaches something significant about Him. As we bring our series to a close and talk about the power of being with, we’ll finish with a familiar name: Emmanuel. It means “God with us.”
Immanuel foretold in Isaiah
The first time we see this name is in Isaiah 7:14. We’re often familiar with this passage as it’s often referred to during Christmas, but the story behind it is interesting.
The events surrounding this name follow a king named Ahaz in Jerusalem in the eighth century BC. The southern kingdom of Israel, ruled by Ahaz, is at war with the northern kingdom.
During this conflict, Ahaz discovers that two kingdoms to the east want to conquer both kingdoms. His response to this crisis is one of desperation. He doesn’t want to give up his kingdom or his throne. There was a deep meaning to the throne because it was the throne of David, a reminder that God was with His people.
God sees this desperation. He knows this is happening and sends the prophet Isaiah to let him know that he would not lose his throne. He’s told to stand firm in his faith and that God would give a sign that nothing will happen to the throne. We see this exchange:
Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
The message of the name
Immanuel translates as “God with us.” This sign refers to the birth of Jesus and is meant to be a name that allows one to step out in faith with the understanding that God will lead you into what he’s calling you to. The name enabled Ahaz to step out in faith. It told him you don’t have to act as though you’re alone because you’re not.
God is with you.
You are not alone, and in fact, God is stepping out with you. Your sign is the birth of Emmanuel, of Jesus. God is with you.
That name must have hit Ahaz pretty hard. In the middle of the chaos and uncertainty, Immanuel was a reminder that God was with him in what he’s experiencing. It told him that he doesn’t have to go through this alone. It spoke that God was with him in the chaos. That had to be very freeing.
God’s silence doesn’t mean He is absent
You might feel alone. It might feel like you’re going solo, but you aren’t. God is with you. Israel often had to wonder if God was still with them.
We can relate, because it’s easy to wonder if He’s present when things don’t go according to plan. Like Israel, we can wonder if God is still there when things don’t look good. But here’s what we must know: Our version of success is not an indicator of whether God is with us. Whether or not things go the way we want them to does not indicate whether or not God is with us.
That’s a difficult concept to grasp.
When Israel was in the desert, hot, uncomfortable and without resources, it’s easy to wonder if God was with them. When Ahaz had threats all around him with no victory in sight and in the midst of God’s silence, he had to question God’s presence.
In the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, God was silent. He didn’t show up the way his people thought he would. They had to wonder if God was still with them.
Immanuel: The Birth of Jesus.
If you fast forward several years, we come to Matthew 1:23, where the name comes up again.
Even though God seemed to be silent, the genealogy of Jesus showed that God was working behind the scenes. That was family history starts with the book of Matthew, and we are probably unfamiliar with most of those names. It goes for fourteen generations. It served as evidence, starting with Abraham, of who Jesus was, and that he was who the savior was expected to be.
The genealogy was a sign that all through history, God was orchestrating something amazing. It showed He was moving even when everyone thought He was stalling. God was with them when they felt abandoned and was light in the darkness when they felt alone.
The genealogy leads us to this:
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, “the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel,
Matthew 1:23
This was Israel’s sign that God was with them. The birth of Jesus was a tangible sign that they were not alone.
Can you imagine the relief that they must have felt when they read these words, when they were just reminded that hey, God is with you? Knowing they were seen, being in the midst of something difficult and being reminded that God is with you. It gives rest and relief, but also a kind of strength.
God is still Immanuel
And that’s the beauty of this name. Though it was a name given so long ago, it’s still a name you can give God today, because He is still Emmanuel.
He has not changed. He’s with you today.
Sometimes we feel a separation between us and the people we read about in the Word. We can read something like this in this story and think, that’s great for them. But we feel like it doesn’t apply to our situation.
Some things did apply to the people in the scriptures and should be separated from us. However, this is not one of those times. When it applies to a characteristic of God, we remember that God does not change.
Like Israel, you may be at a time in your faith and your life where you are unsure if God is present. You might not know if He’s working behind the scenes, or might be in a place where it feels like your own kind of 400 years of silence from God.
This is a name God gave to let you know He’s with you.
God is with you through His Spirit
From the moment you said yes to Jesus and started living for Him, from the moment of baptism where you came up out of the water, you can start again with God.
From the moment of baptism, we are given the Holy Spirit. God dwells within you so he’s not just with you, he’s WITH YOU with you. His spirit dwells within you.
You may even point to a time where you could look back and see he was with you even before you really knew or understood Him. Emmanuel is a name you can give to God with confidence because our acceptance of Him is affirmation that he’s with you and he’s not going anywhere.
We see this affirmed on the cross. Jesus, by atoning for our sins, did this work on the cross to remove the barriers that separated us from God. The walls are no longer there. We see it summed up in Romans 8:34-39:
Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died, more than that, who is raised to life, is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written for your sake. we face death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered knowing in all these things. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us, for I’m convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:34-39
Emmanuel is a name you can give God today because he’s with you from the moment of your acceptance. You are never left alone. You are not abandoned or without a light in the dark, because he is Emmanuel, he is with you.
The Impact of Knowing He is Immanuel
Understanding not only the meaning of the name but its depth affects every part of our lives and our faith.
I’d also like to give us some ways in which understanding the depth of this name rocks our faith and affects the way that we live our lives.
Knowing his name is Emmanuel might affect the way that you perceive God.
We often have a perception of God being a million miles away in heaven and we’re all the way down here on earth. When we pray, we look up to heaven and feel like we’re just kind of throwing up lobs or prayers, hoping that he catches just a few of them.
But when Jesus bore our sin on that cross, the Word says that the veil between heaven and earth was torn. God is not a million miles away, but he’s right there with you where you are.
I had this rhythm of making breakfast every day before I was married. I would sit at my table and look out the window to this park area. Every morning I would make breakfast, sit at the table, and then I would invite Jesus to sit with me. I’d pull up a chair and angle it so he could sit down with me, invite him to sit with me and we’d look out the window together.
Those were some of the most sacred moments of my life when I felt the name Emmanuel.
Immanuel is God with us, not God a million miles away, or in the next neighborhood, the next school district, orin a different place. He is God with us.
When he says he’s with us, he really does mean it. He’s with you when you’re eating breakfast, when you’re driving your car or cleaning your house. God is with you when you’re frustrated or annoyed.
When you get a sense of His presence by understanding the reality of this name, it can impact how you perceive him altogether. He’s not distant and far off, but right there with you.
Knowing his name is Emmanuel might affect the way you step out in faith.
When God is calling you to do something where he’s asking you to step out in faith, it can be scary and intimidating. However, he’s also stepping out with you. When he’s leading or encouraging you to do something, know that he’s both leading you and walking beside you.
He is not up there in heaven saying, “I hope that they make it, I hope they’re gonna be okay.” He’s walking with you, not asking you to walk alone. He doesn’t leave you vulnerable but both leads you and walks with you.
Knowing his name is Emmanuel might affect the way you wait.
We might be praying for God to do something or show up in a certain way. It can feel like God is our ride and we’re out on the street waiting for him to come around the corner and pick us up. We feel like we’re just waiting for Him and aren’t sure when he’ll come. Is he late or in traffic? Did he forget about us altogether?
That’s when we need to know what this name Emmanuel teaches us. He is with you in the wait.
We might be waiting for God to do something or waiting for Him to show up, but we’re not waiting alone. He didn’t say “you stay right here, I’ll be right back.”
He’s with you in the wait. Even when he’s also preparing a way to provide for you, he hasn’t abandoned you for a moment, and saying “I’m gonna be right back.”
He’s with you in the waiting.
Knowing his name is Emmanuel might affect the way we grieve.
When we grieve, we understand that he’s with us in our grief. He’s with you in the mourning right beside you, that he’s feeling with you.
When we grieve and when we mourn, those can be some of the loneliest moments of our lives. We might receive comfort, even a little bit, knowing God is with you in your grief.
There are times when we’re grieving when people around us can’t understand what we’re going through, but God can. He is with you in that.
People may not fully understand and feel what we feel in our grief, but he can. They may not always be able to sit with you and be available, but he can and he is. He is with you, right beside you.
Even in your grieving and lonely moments you know He is Immanuel. You are not alone.
Knowing his name is Emmanuel might affect the way you share God with others.
Knowing his name is Emmanuel might affect the way you share God with others.
The way that we talk about God’s shifts when we act as if he’s in the room. How we share him and talk about Him shifts when we remember that He’s with us.
Sharing your faith might seem less intimidating when we remember that God is with us. Sometimes shari even in our sharing our faith can reflect that He’s in the room..
We let other people know that he’s not distant or far off or unaware of the things going on in our lives, but that he’s with us and willing to step into our experiences if we allow him. God is not somewhere, He’s with us. That’s what Immanuel means.
A prayer to Immanuel
God is with us. That’s what this name, Immanuel, means. It is such a powerful and such a wonderful name.
When we begin to understand the depth of this name, it can affect every area of our faith, of our lives and our walk with Jesus.
That’s some of the power of being with Emmanuel. He’s with us. I hope this name provides some sort of encouragement to you. It certainly does to me because again, when we understand that he’s with us in everything we’re experiencing, we don’t have to feel as afraid, alone, or vulnerable. He’s not somewhere. He’s HERE with you.
In wrapping up, we have this prayer to Immanuel. Each week we’ve offered up a prayer to the name of God that we looked at. This isn’t a prayer to a different god, as our God is One God. Instead, it’s a prayer that recognizes the attribute of God that the name reveals.
You are Emmanuel God with us. You have not left us abandoned or alone. Even when we feel lonely, you have not forsaken us. Even when we feel forsaken, you have affirmed your presence on the cross and have sealed it with your sacrifice in good times, lonely times and hard times help us remember you are Emmanuel, you are God with us. Amen.\