Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Listen carefully, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call his name Immanuel (God with us).” -Isaiah 7:14 (AMP)
Isaiah foretold of the time when God, the Creator of all things, would become flesh and dwell among men. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah that God Himself would give a sign, so that the people would know what to be looking for. The sign: “A girl who is presently a virgin will get pregnant. She’ll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God-With-Us).” (MSG)
The fulfillment of this prophecy is recorded in Luke and Matthew. In Luke we find the story of the young girl who would be the mother of this child, her name was Mary. One day, Mary had a very unusual visitor, a heavenly Messenger, named Gabriel. Gabriel had this message for Mary:
“But the angel reassured her, saying, “Do not yield to your fear, Mary, for the Lord has found delight in you and has chosen to surprise you with a wonderful gift. You will become pregnant with a baby boy, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be supreme and will be known as the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will enthrone him as King on the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign as King of Israel forever, and his reign will have no limit.” -Luke 1:30-33 (The Passion Translation)
Matthew records the story of Joseph, who was the child’s earthly father. Matthew tells us:
“The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they enjoyed their wedding night, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic revelation to full term: “Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).” Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.” -Matthew 1:18-25 (MSG)
John, in his Gospel, even tells us that the Word, another title of God, became flesh and came to dwell among men. John wrote:
“And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).” -John 1:14 (AMP)
If we look back into the prophecies of Isaiah, we see that this child would be a Great Light to those who were lost. In fact, He would hold many titles: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah records for us this promise:
“The people who walk in darkness shall see a great Light—a Light that will shine on all those who live in the land of the shadow of death. For Israel will again be great, filled with joy like that of reapers when the harvesttime has come, and like that of men dividing up the plunder they have won. For God will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the vast host of the Midianites by Gideon’s little band. In that glorious day of peace there will no longer be the issuing of battle gear; no more the bloodstained uniforms of war; all such will be burned. For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. These will be his royal titles: “Wonderful,” “Counselor,” “The Mighty God,” “The Everlasting Father,” “The Prince of Peace.” His ever-expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule with perfect fairness and justice from the throne of his father David. He will bring true justice and peace to all the nations of the world. This is going to happen because the Lord of heaven’s armies has dedicated himself to do it!” -Isaiah 9:2-7 (TLB)
“We should thank God for being with us, not ask Him to be with us (this is always given!).” ~Henry Blackaby
As you celebrate Christmas this year, do not forget about the One who made it all possible, the One, Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, the Maker of all things, who became flesh came to live among mankind. He is the Light of the World, the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He is Emmanuel, God with us. May you have a merry and blessed Christmas!
Growing with God 