Opening Prayer: Where
shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell
in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your
right hand shall hold me. If I say,
“Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the
darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is
as light with you.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted
me together in my mother's womb. I
praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it
very well. My frame was not hidden from
you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the
earth. Your eyes saw my unformed
substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were
formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:7-16)
Scripture: Matthew
1:23
Journal: What
is your current sense of God’s presence in your life? How does the promise of his presence give you
hope?
Reflection:
What a promise! And
more than just a promise, what a statement of who God is! He is
Immanuel! That is his name! Thus, he is the God who just can't stay
away. He is God with us! In the midst of our deepest
darkness, he is with us. In the midst of our most desperate
loneliness, he is with us. In the midst of our most unimaginable
pain, he is with us. When our hearts have been broken beyond
repair, he is with us. When we have made a total mess of our
lives, he is with us. When tragedy strikes, he is with us.
When we are lost, left, or abandoned, he is with us. At the times
we feel most unlovable and ashamed, he is with us. When we
feel like complete and utter failures, he is with us. When we feel
like all hope is lost, he is with us. When we feel completely
broken and inept, he is with us. When we are terrified of what
lies before us, he is with us. When we are uncertain about our
futures, he is with us. And even when life seems to be going "just
fine thank you" he is with us even then. In fact, the
Psalmist (Psalm 139:7-12) tells us that there is nowhere we can go where
he is not with us. Just open your eyes and your ears, he is there.
Somewhere. Even if he is there in a way—or a place, or a form—that you
didn't expect. He is with us! It's just who he
is. Thanks be to God. (Watch and Wait by Jim Branch)
Prayer
Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus. Help us to
believe that it’s true. Help us to truly
believe that you are Immanuel—God with us.
Help us to believe it in spite of our fears and our uncertainties. Help us to believe it in spite of our
anxieties and insecurities. Help us to
believe in spite of our loneliness and isolation. And help us to believe in spite of our
feelings and our circumstances. Thank
you that you are Immanuel, it’s just who you are. And since you are Immanuel, which means you
will always be with us, help us to seek always to be with you in return. Amen. (Watch and Wait by Jim Branch)
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