Immanuel

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)” Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23. Jesus is Immanuel; He is God with us. Jesus wants to be with you! He wants to be with me. This year, Jesus has taught me many things about being with Him.

If you were to see me in my personal prayer time, you would find me journaling away in a small notebook. I have written down my prayers for a long time, and I still do. However, I recently began to feel that I was writing God letters that seemed very formal. These times seemed disconnected from what I imagine the relationship between Jesus and His disciples was like. They experienced Immanuel in an extraordinary way. We get to experience Immanuel in extraordinary ways. In John 16:7, Jesus tells His disciples, “It is for your good that I am going away.” That “good” is Christ’s Holy Spirit dwelling within all Christ’s disciples. Jesus is nearer than He had ever been! Yet, I was writing Him letters. I do not want to discourage you from writing down your prayers if that helps you pray. I have learned that I do not need to write letters and wait for a reply.

I have been blessed to have close friends who pray in powerful ways. What I found to be powerful was that they talk to Jesus like He is right in front of them. They were having these beautiful conversations with Immanuel. One friend describes imagining herself sitting on a rug with a small table and Jesus is there sitting across from her. I began to do this in my own prayer life and have found that I can be in conversation with Jesus. I took the advice and picture myself out in nature, hiking on a mountain. I sit down on a rock and can see God’s beautiful creation before me, and I turn to speak with the creator Himself.

Jesus is God with us. He wants to be with you, and He wants to talk with you. Christmas means we get to be with God, and that is beautiful. Take some time, be still, and know that He is God. Merry Christmas!