Enjoying Isaiah 9:6 this
morning, it reads:
“Therefore, the Lord Himself
will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin
shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”
Matthew thought it so
significant that he quotes this verse at the beginning of his gospel, and tells
us the meaning of the word, “Immanuel.”
It means, “God with us (Matt. 1:23).”
I am reminded of a similar
verse in Isaiah 31:8. Moses is
commissioning Joshua to succeed him as the leader of the people of Israel. In front of all the people, he encourages him
to be strong and courageous for, “It is the Lord Himself who goes before
you. He will be with you; He will not
leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or
be dismayed.”
Isn’t it awesome that we have
a God who goes before us, past Christmas and into the New Year. It is so reassuring to know He has already
been there, He knows what our year will be and all that we will need, and He
will be with us. He will not leave us or
forsake us. We have nothing to fear.
I hope that you have had a
great year, but if anything has happened that has led to feeling discouraged or
frustrated or afraid. Jesus also made a
similar statement to these others, and Matthew closes his gospel with what
Jesus had to say:
“Behold I am with you always,
even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20).”
Merry Christmas and a Blessed
New Year!
Godspeed, Phil
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