Immanuel - God with Us

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.'"

Matthew 1:23 (NLT)

            I remember my son Benjamin’s first visit to the dentist as though it were yesterday. The pungent mixture of disinfectant and Acrylic Monomer, combined with the high-pitched whir of a drill emanating from one of the exam room, were enough to alarm me, let alone a young child with sensory issues.

            “He has autism,” I told the hygienist, hoping she would show a tad more gentleness towards my three-year old son.

            Obviously, she had no clue what I was talking about as she commanded him to climb into the strange black chair covered in plastic. Benjamin wasn’t having any of it. I snagged him as he bolted for the door, then crouched to his level.

            “Would you like to sit in Mommy’s lap while the lady counts your teeth?” I said, attempting to make eye contact.

            Benjamin didn’t fancy that idea either, but I gently led him back to the chair where I plopped into its sterile embrace then hoisted him onto my lap. Glancing apprehensively at the series of hoses dangling from various metal contraptions, Benjamin attempted to flee.

            “You’re going to be alright,” I said, rubbing his arm. “Just close your eyes and relax in my arms.”

            Joseph also found himself in a harrowing situation when Mary told him she was pregnant. Feelings of confusion, disgrace, betrayal and deep grief vied with a protectiveness that longed to save her from public disgrace. The love he’d shown Mary had just been dishonored and tarnished. Or so it appeared.

Just as Joseph’s hopes and dreams seemed to lay shattered in a thousand pieces on the floor, God showed up. An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, confirming that the child within Mary was, indeed, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Then Matthew adds, “All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

            Where was God in Joseph’s darkest hour? Right where he needed to be – among us – with us – fulfilling his marvelous plan for man’s salvation. In Joseph’s darkest moments, God was nearer to him than ever before.

Are you enduring a time of trials and difficulties? Have doubts left you wondering where God is? If you can’t see his face, maybe it’s because he’s holding you in his loving arms.