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God With Us

Matthew 1: 22-23 "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means God with us.'"

Jesus came to earth so that God could be with us. Let's just stop and meditate on that for a moment.

Why on earth - or in heaven as the case may be - would God want to be with us so badly that He would send His Son from the glory of heaven to live down here like a mere mortal human? If you really just stop and think on it for a few minutes, instead of becoming clearer, it only becomes more astounding and mind boggling. Why indeed?

Not only is He with us but He is REALLY with us. I mean, I "dwell with" my husband, but I am not always in his presence. He doesn't always know exactly what I am doing nor I him. He definitely does not always know what I am thinking.... Psalm 139 gives us an idea of just how "with us" God is:
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there  your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you."  vv. 7-12
God is everywhere we are and go and He wants to be there with us. I so don't get that. Sometimes, I don't even want to be with me where I am - why would God want to be there? I think the answers lie in the verses above...so that His hand can guide us and hold us fast....so that we have a light in the darkness.

How does it make me feel that God is with me always? Maybe a little uneasy at times, but whose fault is that? That is just me wanting to hide in the darkness. Mostly, it is comforting to know that He is there in the form of His Spirit. He will give me that guiding nudge when I am about to say or do the wrong thing. He will give me that sense of peace in a situation where I should be afraid. And most of all, He will just love me wherever I am - even in the darkness.

Is God truly with you? How does that make you feel? Think you are far from His presence? You aren't. You just need to ask Him to take down the barriers - the sin in your life that is blocking the way. Do you know that you have never had Him with you? He wants to be with you! Tell Him you are sorry for your sin, ask Him to forgive you and come to be a part of your life. That is a prayer He always answers! Then He will be with you, too.

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