I REMEMBER AS a kid growing up that I always looked forward to December. Dad was gone most of the time in traveling ministry. But he would be home at least one or two weeks during Christmas time. And I looked forward to being with him.
You know, some people can have others around them but still feel alone. That’s because they’re living life spiritually without God. They’ve never received Jesus as their personal Savior.
God never intended for us to be alone. He designed us to have fellowship with Him. When Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, all humanity became separated from Him. But God saw down through the channels of time and said, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14 NKJV).
In Hebrew, Immanuel means “God with us.” Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in the New Testament.
LUKE 2:1–7 (NKJV)
1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Christmas season is really about God and mankind being reunited through Jesus, the Babe of Bethlehem. Christ was born a child in Bethlehem, but He became the Redeemer of the world as He hung on a cross and shed His blood on Golgotha’s hill. Jesus made it possible for humanity and God to reconnect.
We miss our family members when we’re separated from them because of work, military deployment, or some other reason. And when we get together again, what a time of rejoicing!
When I was growing up, we missed my dad terribly while he was away. Sometimes he drove all night just so he could be with us for a few hours. What great times we had with him then! But you know, God doesn’t come and go. He’s with us 24/7/365.
During the Christmas season, let’s rejoice because of what God has done for us. And let’s tell others that He made a way to be with us always.
God was with His Old Testament people. He told Moses He would be with him.
"GOD MAKES HIS PERMANENT DWELLING PLACE IN THOSE OF US WHO RECEIVE JESUS AS OUR SAVIOR"
EXODUS 3:11–12 (NKJV)
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
Jehovah God was with Moses throughout his life. He was with Moses when he confronted Pharaoh, when he crossed the Red Sea, and when the Israelites defeated the enemies who came against them.
After Moses died, Joshua became the leader of the Israelites. God told Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5 NKJV).
Joshua could have had an inferiority complex because Moses was such a great leader. Besides that, the Israelites weren’t the easiest people to lead. But God’s words to Joshua helped him be the leader he was.
The good news for us is that we have a better covenant than Moses or Joshua. It’s established on better promises (Heb. 8:6). If God was with Moses and Joshua, He will certainly be with us too.
In the New Testament, GOD MAKES HIS PERMANENT DWELLING PLACE IN THOSE OF US WHO RECEIVE JESUS AS OUR SAVIOR. God doesn’t come for a visit. He is with us all the time. We are never alone!
Jesus told us in Matthew 28:20 (NKJV), “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” In Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) God said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” We can take these verses to heart. He may not like what we’re doing, and we may grieve Him. But He has promised us that He will not leave us.
God is with us in every situation—good, bad, ugly, and indifferent. Anytime we feel as though we are losing a battle, we need to remember that we are living under a New Covenant, with better promises than Moses and Joshua had. God is living in us! And we can know that He will take care of us and see us through, no matter what.
God was with Moses, Gideon, and David, as well as many others in the Old Testament. He was with them in times of trouble and times of rejoicing. God was with David when he killed Goliath and when David was running for his life. God was with David when he danced before Him with all his might.
And God is with us! What for? To help us! To deliver us! To take care of us and keep us! He’s standing with us to defend us. All we have to do is believe Him!
In our darkest hour, we are never alone. God in all His power and might is right there with us to cause us to triumph in every situation.
This Christmas, let us celebrate the coming of Immanuel, God with us. But let us also remember that He has not left us. He’s still telling us, “I will always be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you!”
Kenneth W. Hagin
The Christmas season is really about God and mankind being reunited through Jesus, the Babe of Bethlehem.
Author
Kenneth W. Hagin
Share this Post