The Power of Presenceنموونە

GOD WITH US

From the first book of the Bible to the last, you can trace the many threads of God’s character and God’s promises. All of these threads come together in Jesus Christ and find their fulfillment in Him. One of these threads is Presence, and when you begin to pull it, you will find that God was always present, is present, and will always be present with his people.

In the Old Testament, God sent the prophet Isaiah to bring hope to the people. Though their kings would fail them, though they fall into oppression, God gave them a sign of hope: a virgin will give birth and the child would be called Immanuel, a Hebrew word that means, “God is with us.” Seven centuries later, this prophecy was fulfilled at the birth of Jesus. His extraordinary birth is called the Incarnation, for the Son of God came to earth, took on flesh, and lived and walked about his people. Remarkable!

But why would He do this? He did it for us. He came to be present with us so that we can be present with Him forever. The Nicene Creed tells us,

For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.

Ask Yourself:

-How aware am I of the presence of God in my life?

-What does it mean to me and for me that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, Immanuel?

Pause to Pray: Use the beautiful words of Philippians 2:5-11 to lead you to a prayer of praise.

Jesus, you are Lord and Savior, worthy of my praise. For my sake, you came to this earth, lived, and died for my salvation…

Take a Next Step: Commit to finding your chair and completing this reading plan!