In God's word we find there are many names given to our Lord Jesus. He is Messiah, Redeemer, our Advocate with the Father, Prince of Peace and King of Kings. One of the most comforting names of God and His Christ is found in Isaiah 7:14, “The Lord Himself will give you a sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel" (which means 'God is with us').
Jesus is Immanuel and no matter what we are going through, He promised He would be with us always, even to the end of the age. Jesus said He would never leave us or forsake us. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, the very presence of God was made available to every child of God. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, but are we aware of His working in our lives? Sometimes life can get so busy that we fail to recognize God is near and working for our good.
Christmas time can be a wonderful time with family and friends but it can also be a time where we become so busy preparing for Christmas that we lose sight of who we are celebrating. If things start to get stressful for you this Christmas I encourage you to stop whatever you are doing and call out to Him, to Jesus, to Immanuel. Ask Him to be with you, to be near you, and to help you. Jesus said, “Come unto Me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him.” Call on Jesus. He is Immanuel, God with us.
