The Christmas Story Through African EyesPrøve

# Immanuel, God with Us ## From an Africa Study Bible application note: God often does beyond what we could ask, think, or believe—even in the face of our own weakness. In Isaiah 7:14-16, God promised King Ahaz that Israel would be rescued from Syrian attackers as quickly as a young maiden conceives and has a child. This prophecy was fulfilled in Isaiah’s time. But the Gospel writers also took this passage and applied it beyond the time of Isaiah to the virgin birth of Christ hundreds of years later. The Hebrew word for maiden used in this passage means a young woman of marriageable age or a virgin. Isaiah’s full prophecy of “God with us” is far too extensive to be contained in a child born at the time of Ahaz. God is not just with us in our trouble; God actually came down to be with us (Matthew 1:23). The prophecy of a child actually being God goes beyond what any other religion, god, or prophet could imagine. A holy God living in the midst of men is too wonderful to imagine. When we reflect on Christ’s incarnation, we begin to realize the depth of God’s love and mercy for us. ## Today: What reminds you that God is with you? Is there a personal experience, a Scripture, a person, or part of God’s creation that speaks to you of God’s presence? Create something to remind you of God’s presence. It could be a note by your bed, a photo for your phone’s wallpaper, a sketch to hang on your wall, or a simple tune.