God Shows Up

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”).

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

At Christmas, we sing “Oh Come, Oh Come, Immanuel” and the miracle of Christmas is that God did indeed come to be with us in human form. Not only did He come to walk the earth, but also to speak truth, love, and light into the darkness. His ultimate purpose was fulfilled when God the Father sacrificed His only son, Jesus, so that we would have forgiveness, grace, and hope in this life and the next. Death would not be our ultimate end. The story of Christmas is the beauty of “God with us”, but I know that at times it can be difficult to believe that God is STILL with us. 

How many times do we try to solve the problems in our own lives and have doubts that God is in our midst? When circumstances are uncertain or situations are stressful, do we automatically say and believe, “God is with me” ? Christmastime is a good reminder that God shows up. He fulfilled His promise and showed up in a lowly manger in Bethlehem and He still shows up in our lives! I can recall times God has shown up in my own life, helping me to find a home, pulling me out of a pit, being my strength in times of weakness…God shows up time and time again. “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth” and this is never more true today than as it was all those years ago in a stable destined to be the birthplace of our Savior. “Rejoice, Rejoice, Immanuel, shall come to thee, O Israel”. He shall come to thee. Rejoice!