Not only is God for us (yesterday’s devotion), there was a second point to my message last Sunday. Three more words that should move us to praise and thanksgiving. They are: God with us.
God with us, Immanuel, is what we celebrated this past holiday season. The Incarnation, God becoming man, is the central truth of our faith. C. S. Lewis said that “Every other miracle prepares the way for this, or results from this.”
God with us is what sets Christianity apart. If you remove the Incarnation, Christianity is just like every other religion.
Our God chose to demonstrate His love for us by coming to walk this dusty planet with us. Isaiah tells us that the child to be born is God’s Son given: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” [9:6-7]
God with us experiencing our difficulties, our griefs, our challenges. He knew what it was to be rejected, misunderstood, scorned, and in pain. He understands poverty and even homelessness. (“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Matt 8:20)
How can we ever think He does not understand what we go through each day? God for us, and God with us. But there is even more … tomorrow.
