APPROACH QUESTION:
When do you know God is with you?

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what did the Angel of the Lord say the child will be called?
1.  They will call Him Immanuel'-- which means, "God with us.”

INTERPRETATIONS:
I asked myself why is it so significant that the Angel of the Lord tells Joseph that they will call the child Immanuel-which means, "God with us?"

For more than 400 years or so, the Jewish people did not hear from the prophets and many might have even felt God abandoned them. Yet still, though they did not feel the presence of the Lord or hear from the Lord through the prophets, the priests continued to give incense and sacrifices at the altar. These times of 400 years were known as the SILENT YEARS from the time of the Old Testament. Now, the Angel of the Lord comes with such significant news about the impossibility happening to show that God had not abandoned the people. But more than that the angel wants Joseph to know that the child born to the virgin Mary will be called 'Immanuel-- which means, 'God with us!'. This alone shows that God would come down to earth as God-incarnate to be with His people. This is what Jesus would become. He would be God-incarnate to those around Him so they would never have to feel that God abandoned them. For whether they feel God's presence or not, they can know that God is right with them in Jesus.

IMPLICATIONS:
I asked myself what are the implications for my own life?
The implications for my life are profound in two ways for me. First, when I believe in Jesus, I will actually be believing in God. Belief in God can be proved by Jesus, who became God-incarnate to live among us. John 1 shows that the Word became flesh to dwell among us. In the Gospel of John, I remember Jesus also using 'I AM' during 7 different conversations to point to the people that He is 'Immanuel-God with us'. This is how the Lord had revealed himself to the prophet Moses when the Lord said, 'I AM that I AM'.

Not only that but when the Angel of the Lord promised Joseph that God will be with them in Jesus, the Angel of the Lord is even letting me know when I have Jesus in me, I will have 'Immanuel-God with us'in me. That is so exciting and awesome to know that the Creator of the Universe loves me so much that He came down to earth to live among us to love and serve us and made the Ultimate Sacrifice by laying down His life for us so that we could be saved. Thank you so much Jesus.

I ask you now dear friend, what does I.M.M.A.N.U.E.L mean to you?
Dear friend, whether you feel Jesus Christ in your life or not, know for sure that He lives in you when you give your life to Him. He will never abandon you nor leave you. He promises to be with you whether you feel His presence or not. We cannot go by feelings but on faith. There will be times sometimes for months and even years where we feel like we are in the wilderness and going through a dry season but the Lord Jesus, your Immanuel will never leave you or me when we turn to Him. This dryness sometimes becomes that much more serious when we face tragedy or sorrow but God is still there. He has not abandoned us in our sorrow.

So friend, whatever you are going through, come as you are in your pain, suffering, sorrow, or tragedy to the Lamb of God, to your 'Immanuel - God with us' who wants to walk with you and talk with you. He wants to comfort you and strengthen you in your pain. Help Oh Lord! Jesus loves you so much and will be there for you in your pain and sorrow. Yes, He will friend for He wants to be your Immanuel which means God with us. God wants to be with you whatever you are going through.

If you are struggling relationally, financially, academically, mentally, psychologically, emotionally, etc you can turn to the Lord for comfort and strength to get you through. He has not abandoned you no matter what the sorrow and pain you maybe going through or those you know are going through. He weeps with you when you are weeping. He wants to comfort you in His bosom of love. Yes, He does friend. Help rescue us Oh Lord!

12 years ago on December 17, 2007, if there was a day that we needed Immanuel more than any other day,  it was on that day! For on that day our beloved dad, who was married to my more for more than 3 decades, went to be with the Lord.  It was the worst day of our life to lose our daddy [My Dad's Memoriam:] for four of us his sons (Ravi, Raj, Rohit myself), our mother, and all those he left behind.  If my daddy were alive today, he would have loved being a grandpa to our lovely daughters Esther and Evangeline and would have loved to see his precious daughter-in-laws: Chandraleela's and Grace.

My dad's death occurring in the Advent season 8 days before Christmas was very painful too. When I was compiling the Christmas specials, I got a call from my mommy that my dad went to be with the Lord Jesus. In the season, where we sing 'O Come O Come Emmanuel' come ransom us from our captivity,  the words to this song should have been sang at my dad's funeral because, it is Emmanuel who saved our daddy from spiritual death. On the night he was going to leave this earth, my beloved dad wanted Jesus to be with him so He called upon the Name of the Lord Jesus to save him and become his Immanuel so God was with him even while he was leaving this earth to the place God prepared for Him.  So even though this was the worst day of our life because of what happened to our daddy, it also became the best day of my dad's life. He knew that Christmas season for the first time in His life, He would spend it with Jesus in Heaven and celebrate the Christmas season with Jesus!

We knew that 'Immanuel - God with us' was right there with us in our tragedy and sorrow. It could have been so easy to ask ourselves where was God when my dad was about to die, but He was right there welcoming daddy into His bosom of love. In our sorrow and suffering God was right there with us too.

Jesus' words to me from John 11 became more living than ever when Jesus said, "The purpose of his illness is not death but for the glory of the Lord!"

So I thought to myself that the Lord Jesus will keep my dad alive and He did even though it was not physically but more important spiritually. So one day when I leave this earth, I can be reunited with my papa and Father God in person. Thank you Jesus. We are thankful that the Lord Jesus gave us 70 extra days with our papa after he was in the ICU. In those 70 days, my dad got to experience God's Word from Psalms, Matthew-Revelation as my mom would read to him over and over again. Thank you Jesus.

While going to the funeral, my mommy would read from the Psalms to us and kept praising the Lord in her sorrow. Even at the funeral my mommy would make the focus on Jesus Christ who is with us.

This Christmas season, just as we remember the sadness of losing our papa, we can rejoice knowing He is with the Lord Jesus now and will someday be seen again.

Recently, I lost my job of 22 years so it has been very challenging for our family this Christmas season but it has also been a blessing for all the things we feel the Lord has been revealing to us. Especially, we are excited about the ministry calling using the paper as a means to ministry.

I want you to trust in the Lord Jesus whatever you are going through. Never let anyone make you ask yourself, 'Where was God?' in tragedy and suffering. He is right beside you suffering and weeping with you. We live in a sin infested world that is a deadly virus and only the love of Christ and His blood shed to ransom us from the captivity of sin and death can save us from the evil one.

One day all suffering and sorrow will cease as the evil one will be bound and vanquished as the Lord Jesus will return. Until then we have to be vigilant wearing the Armor of God as mentioned in Ephesians 6 to fight evil. For evil is prevalent even to this day.

It is in a world marred with sin that Jesus came to be God with us. He will be with you whatever you are going through. Let His Word comfort you and guide you as you read and pray the Psalms.  Yes, friend.

This Christmas season bring the wounded and suffering to  Jesus, Friend of a Wounded Heart. He will be with you comforting you with the comfort only He can provide. His comfort will show that He is looking after you. Help Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Lord Jesus come!

May you experience Immanuel in your life now and forever more this Christmas season!

"Inspirationally Messiah Makes All Now Understand Emmanuel's Love! (I.M.M.A.N.U.E.L)"/"What does Immanuel mean to you?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for becoming our Immanuel - God with us. You Oh Lord are right with us. It is amazing to know that the God of the Universe, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, came down into this world to become one of us to ransom us held in captivity to the evil one. We pray Oh Lord for those in the prison of the evil one, that you Oh Lord would come and deliver them. Please Oh Lord. Thank you for your love. Oh Lord, evil hates love and will try to destroy it.  You will protect Oh Lord. Thank you so much Jesus. Thanks so much for giving your Word to my dad for 70 consecutive days at which point He gave His life to you and met you in Heaven. Thank you for the cross and the power of the cross. Come comfort the wounded and broken hearted with your love. Help us to always feel your presence and even when we don't, thank you Lord that you keep your Word and are always with us. In Your Precious Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

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