God with Us

John 16:32-33 and Isaiah 7:14

Life does not always go the way that we hope! There have been many times my family and I have had to go down an unexpected road; and I know how easy it is at times like that to question the goodness of God. Many people ask, If God is a loving God, why does He let the people He loves suffer the pain and hardship of defeat, sickness or trial? Even some Christians experiencing unexpected difficulty will begin to wonder, “If God is ‘for’ me, shouldn’t life be easier than it is?”

The truth is, Jesus actually promised that we would face hardship and trial. When speaking to his disciples in John 16:32-33 of his fast-approaching death Jesus told them: “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Yes, in this world we will have trouble; but in the midst of it all, we can find peace in Christ the overcomer!

Recently my husband has been diagnosed with some health issues that have an uncertain outcome; and as we have walked through this season of life, the promise of Isaiah 7:14 has become more and more real to me: “… the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

Immanuel means “God with us” and that name communicates the remarkable truth of the Gospel — God is with us! He loved us so much that in the person of Jesus He gave up the courts of Heaven to step into the everyday mess of life, so that those who believe, who trust in Him, would never be alone again! Whatever my uncertain future, whatever I have yet to face, I know that He is with me for David writes in Psalm 23:4a: “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for (He) is with me.” God Himself has promised in the New Testament in the book of Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Yes, we may face trials; but our experience of them can be changed by the certain fact that He is with us in the midst of them!

Christianity is so different from the world’s religions! Most of those religions say that you must work your way to God; and that if you are good enough perhaps you’ll get there to that far off separate place where God is. But Christianity is not like that at all. The Gospel is all about the fact that though God and man were separated because of sin, God loved us so much that He came to us. He broke through. He made a way for us to be saved. He sent His one and only Son to us – to be like us and to experience the hardship of life as we do. He came to be with us; and that brings me peace because I know that I’m never alone!

We are not spared trials, for just as surely as the summer is followed by winter  they come to us all. Peace can be found in the midst of them — but it is found in Christ alone. Will you put your faith in Him and ask Him to be your Immanuel?

Blessings on your day,

Michele

About Michele Telfer

Michele is a gifted Bible teacher and captivating storyteller who draws from her diligent study of the Scriptures and her greatly varied experiences to impart deep spiritual truths. Her passion is to communicate the two greatest realities of all—the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ, and the written Word of God, the Bible.

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