God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at the break of day…The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:5,7
Can I just say that Psalm 46 has become my new favorite! If you have the time today, sit with the whole psalm. Emmanuel is all over it! I could talk about this psalm for days…so hard to narrow down a focus for us today. The context of this Psalm reminds me of the battle between king Hezekiah and the Assyrians from yesterday. Jerusalem is threatened. Daybreak was a common time of battle back then. The psalmist declares that God is within her. I know that this refers to Jerusalem, but it’s so rare to see “her” in the Bible. It just catches my attention and I want to put my name in here…anyone else with me, ladies?! With the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, I feel like we can indeed take this to mean us! God is within each of us! We will not fall. He will help us at the break of day! I struggle with anxiety and at times, my mornings can feel like an uphill battle, feeling overwhelmed and like I’m failing before I step out of bed. This verse is one I want to commit to memory and say on those tough days…God is within me! I will not fall! God will help me as the battles surround me! He is with me! He is my fortress! Let’s walk into this busy, often overwhelming and sweet season today with that confidence! Father, Emmanuel, thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit in us like a river of life. Thank you that you keep us from falling, that you fight our battles with us and for us. Thank you that our souls are safe in your hands. We ask that you’d give us a peace that passes understanding in this hectic season. Help us to love on the people in our lives with your love and rest in the powerful stillness of your presence.
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With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and fight our battles. 2 Chronicles 32:8
King Hezekiah is one of the good kings of Judah who follows God’s way and destroys the alters and high places of false gods. The king of Assyria lays siege to the city of Jerusalem during Hezekiah’s reign. Hezekiah quickly sets to work, diligently getting the city ready for battle. When he assembles all his leaders and soldiers, he speaks these works to them. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.” Sound familiar? Again and again, we are reminded in the Old Testament that God fights his people’s battles. He is the one who brings the victory to his people, despite absurd odds. The people are told to have courage when their eyes scanned the vast army and fear crept in. The King of Assyria only has the strength of people on his side, but God is on the side of Judah! As the siege continues, the Assyrians fling insult after insult at God and try their best to terrify the people. Hezekiah and Isaiah pray together and the Lord answers mightily! The Word says that God sent and angel and annihilated all the fighting men, officers, and leaders of the Assyrian army. The king returns home in disgrace. God brought peace to Hezekiah and Judah. What can we take away from this story for our lives? Let’s be like Hezekiah and walk uprightly before the Lord. Let’s do the work before us…preparing for battle…and when life gets tough, let’s hit our knees together. Let’s cry out to our powerful Father to bring victory! Lord, thank you that you are with us. In the struggles we face daily, we need you. Help us to walk rightly with you as Hezekiah did and to come to you first when trouble hits. Father, in you we have power greater than any enemy. Grow our faith to see that victory rests solely in your hands, not our own. Thank you for being with us always. Each Sunday of Advent, let’s enjoy the carols of Emmanuel.
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel” originates from traditional Advent readings prior to 1100. At that time an unknown poet put them in poetic form. John Mason Neale translated this poem into English around 1860 and set it to music. I love that we join the voices of believers for nearly a millennium when we sing this carol. Read the words with fresh eyes today. I’d love to hear in the comments below what understanding you gain from this amazing song. Let’s share and celebrate what God’s doing in our hearts today. O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny; From depths of hell Thy people save, And give them victory over the grave. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here; And drive away the shades of night And pierce the clouds and bring us light! Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, O come, Thou Lord of might, Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height In ancient times once gave the law In cloud, and majesty, and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Forty years have passed since Joshua and Caleb explored the promised land and the people rebelled against God. They have wandered in the desert for forty long, sandy years, learning to trust God more, and waiting for God’s timing to bring them into their future home. Moses has died and Joshua is now leading the people of Israel. The time has come finally arrived to enter the land. At this moment, God speaks to Joshua. The gist of God’s message…do not be afraid; be strong and courageous; know and follow God’s Word exactly; I will go with you wherever you go. What jumps out at me is how many times God tells him to not be afraid. Here’s the man who stood up with courage all those years ago. Even with great faith, one can still battle great fear. It’s a daily battle to lay down our fears and take up courage and remind ourselves that God is with us. Our fears urgently plea to be heard and followed, but when we are walking along where God leads, he will lift our heads and guide us in paths of victory. Shortly after God speaks to Joshua the people conquer their most feared opponent, Jericho. Following God’s lead, the people hardly fight at all. They walk around with God, blow horns, and shout at the top of their lungs…nothing their own understanding would have led them to do. But with God, nothing is impossible. With God, impenetrable walls crumble, giants fall, and victories come in the most unexpected ways! Let’s take courage and lay down fear today. Let’s remember who leads us to victory and walks with us each and every step of the way. God is with us today, my friends! I am so thankful for Emmanuel! Father, lift our heads to see you when we are afraid. Help us to be strong and courageous as we face life today. You lead us to victory. Help us to trust you even when it’s difficult and we want to try to control it. Help us to follow your Word, your gentle leading. Lord, we thank you for being with us wherever we go. Whatever we face, help us to rest in your leading and direction. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. Leviticus 26:12
In this part of the Old Testament, after explaining all the laws of Holy Living to the Hebrews, God begins to recite his blessings for them. I love these words…I will walk among you. Years and years before Christ, we have a picture of his walking in our shoes, along our roads, among us. God came near. God placed his dwelling with us…first in his tent of worship, then in Christ being with us, and finally through his Holy Spirit making his home in our hearts. The second part of this verse speaks to me of belonging. I think we all long to be part of something that matters…a family, a team, a relationship, a company, a church… When we uproot and no longer feel our security in belonging to whatever we were a part of, we feel lost and long to latch onto something new. The God of our souls knows this need and I think he also has this need. Over and over in the Old Testament, God repeats…I will be your God and you will be my people. We belong to God. That part makes sense…he is our creator. The next part blows my mind…HE BELONGS TO US! The God of the entire universe, the Almighty, the Creator, he is ours. He puts himself out there for us to hold onto. More than the company we work for, the church we attend, the friends we have, we belong to God Almighty and He belongs to us. That to me speaks a security that satisfies, a soul rest in my Father’s arms. And yet, we are so human and forget and search for what’s right in front of us and lean on what this world has to offer rather than focusing on belonging to God. I know I sure struggle with this. Today, let’s spend some quiet resting in the Father’s arms, knowing He belongs to us and we belong to Him. Father God, you are our creator, our Mighty God, and yet in your love for us, you understand our need to belong. Help us find peace as we focus on our belonging to You today. Thank you for making your dwelling with us and walking among us. Lord, help us to walk step by step with you today. In insecure moments, help us to look to you to satisfy, to fill us rather than reaching for the world’s quick fixes that increase the ache of our souls. And God said, “I will be with you.” Exodus 3:12
I love how humbly Moses begins his leadership. The mighty man of God who will write the first five books of the Old Testament, who God will use to perform miracle after miracle, who will see God pass before him on the mountain, whose face shone with being in God’s glory…this same man begs God to send someone else at the start. God spoke to Moses from the burning bush to call him into leadership, to call him to be the voice of a compassionate God to his oppressed people. God has come to deliver them and bring them to the promise land…a promise that began more than four hundred years before. From the hindsight we now have, it seems silly that Moses would beg to not go. But, I can totally relate. He ran from Egypt forty years before and had lived peacefully and in obscurity as a shepherd. He had a family and had settled down. It’s hard to leave what’s known and comfortable. God promises Emmanuel. “I will be with you.” It’s this promise and that of sending his brother with him that finally calms Moses into agreement. He will not be alone on this adventure…The Almighty God who Sees goes with him. He will have community with his brother. Today, let’s rest in the fact that like Moses, God goes with us where he calls us to serve. He sees our struggles; he knows our hearts; he understands our weaknesses and insecurities and promises to never leave us or forsake us. Let’s be Aarons to each other today as well. Let’s be people who come beside each other in our calls and serve together. Let’s lift each other up before the Lord. Let’s be a community of believers wherever we are that brings courage and strength in our collective call to be the hands and feet of Christ to a hurting world. Father, thank you for seeing our suffering and not leaving us alone in it. Thank you that just as you saw your people enslaved and delivered them, you will break the bonds of our slavery to addiction, to false securities, to unhealthy relationships. Lord, we pray for freedom and hope today. Lord, as we walk into the call you’ve placed in each of our hearts, thank you for the promise of being with us. We are never alone. Give us the courage to walk with you today. Help us to lean on you and each other when life gets difficult today. Amen. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. Genesis 28:15
Turn the page in your Bible from where we were yesterday and we see God promising his presence again, this time to Jacob who was on his way to hideout at his uncle’s place. He had tricked his brother Esau and now ran away to avoid revenge. In the middle of his fleeing, he fell asleep on a rock (I’ve always found that odd!). God spoke with him while he slept and promised to keep the Covenant He had promised to his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham. He promised to be with him and watch over him everywhere he went. As he had fallen asleep that night, I imagine Jacob had been afraid for his life and was feeling vulnerable out in the open. God met him right where he was the most at risk. God promised to watch over him and to be with him. As an adult, I sometimes long to get to be a kid and be taken care of again, that feeling of being protected and watched out for and just rest into that. Wouldn’t that be nice?! With God, that is still possible. He watches over for us. He is with us. Let’s lean into him as our good watchful Father today. Father, thank you for watching over us. Thank you for the security of your presence in our lives. Help us today to run to you in our times of struggle. Remind us through the day of your palpable presence with us. Lord bring rest over each of us as we pray, resting back into your arms of protection. The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land a while, and I will be with you and will bless you.” Genesis 26:3
When famine struck the land, Isaac planned to take his family to Egypt where they would find abundant food. It made perfect sense. But God had other plans and appeared to Isaac to let him know Egypt was not the answer. If he would trust God and stay where God told him, God promised to be WITH him and bless him. When God is with us, his blessings seem to overflow into our lives. For Isaac, God provided abundantly for their physical needs during this time of famine. He found well after well of water and reaped a crop one hundred fold what was sown. God’s hand of blessing was clearly on him. It’s been in my hardest “famine” times when circumstances were the worst, that God showed himself more WITH me than ever. I was desperate and leaned hard into Jesus, the only rock of refuge that satisfied (trust me I tried others!). God provided strength beyond myself; he provided financially; he put a supportive community around me, but most of all, I rested in the comfort in his presence, knowing he understood my pain even if no one else could. In my need to control, it's so easy to lean on my own understanding and "go to Egypt", but God's ways are always better than mine. What physical or spiritual treasure have you found because of God being with you in your life? Lord, today, we like Isaac need you with us. Help us to not run to what seems like a quick fix, but to trust you even when we don’t quite understand your leading. Thank you that with you are endless gifts of all kinds. Thank you for understanding each of our hearts and minds and bodies. Thank you for being with us and never leaving us. Reflection Question: Where in your life these days are you tempted to follow your own path rather than trusting God to lead? The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. Isaiah 7:14
I can hardly believe it’s December 1. Here we are in advent season, the month to focus on Christ’s coming into the world as a newborn baby, on God wrapping himself in human flesh, taking on our vulnerabilities, our brokenness, to save us. He chose to walk our world for more than three decades. He came into the world to truly be with us as well as save us. The name of God Emmanuel, means “God With Us”. All month, I want to guide us around the Bible and focus on just this—that God is WITH us. As he was with those thousands of years ago, he is also with us! We are not alone. Today let’s take a few moments here to thank God for choosing to dwell among us. Father, our world is hurting with so much pain, sickness, and suffering. We need to know we are not alone in this pain. We need to have you with us, your power, your understanding. As Moses begged God after the people had rebelled, so we beg you to stay with us, to never leave us because more than ever it feels that we need you, our Creator, our Almighty God. Thank you for sending Jesus, to fulfill this prophecy, born of a virgin, to by Emmanuel, God with us. Open our hearts to know what that means for us this Christmas season. Draw us even closer into your arms and be our strength, our wisdom, our hope each and every day. Thank you for not abandoning us, for never leaving us. Taking it deeper: Take some time to think or journal about how your life would be or feel different if you were aware of God being present with you all the time. (Feel free to share your response in the comments, but no pressure...the point is for personal time with God.) Until tomorrow! |
AuthorHi. I'm Maggie. Current hats: Wife, mom, artist and starting this week, a devotional writer! Enthusiastic, creative, focused. I love chai tea lattes, and authentic conversations. ArchivesCategories
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