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There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Prov. 18:24.
I used to wonder when I was a kid, why the Bible said that Christ’s name would be Emmanuel, when clearly, the angel told Joseph to name that baby Jesus. Didn’t God read the Old Testament? It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that the passage in Isaiah referred to the many attributes of Christ and how we would relate to Him – that we would call Him Wonderful, or our Counselor. Emmanuel was just title, a way of saying that we would know him to be “God who is with us.” He is with us wherever we go and whatever we’re going through. He’s familiar with us, intimate with us, even if we’re not intimate with Him. Here’s a little of what the Bible records about our right-here, right-now God: You understand my thought afar off. Ps. 139:2 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. Ps. 139:3. Even before a word is on my tongue … you know it altogether. Ps. 139:4 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Jer. 1:5 I will never leave you… Jos. 1:5 I will never … forsake you. Jos. 1:5 These are all statements that speak volumes to God’s character. Imagine: someone who actually knows you inside and out – even your every thought, which can’t always be good – and still makes a pledge to never leave or turn away from you? Would you even make that pledge to yourself if you had the choice? He is with us when we sin, and with us when we repent. He is never a day’s journey away. He simply says “Return to Me and I will return to you.” (Mal. 3:7) He’ll meet us more than halfway. But our God goes even beyond that. He is not one who just sat in the heavens and listened to our prayers. He came to earth, experienced birth, life, death joy, sorrow, friendship, betrayal – all the things our lives are comprised of. He is not only the ever-present Emmanuel, He is a God who understands, and tender to our cares. If you don’t know Him, get to know Him. Turn away from your sins, place your faith in Him and He will cleanse you from your sins. He will return to you. If you know Him but haven’t taken the step to trust Him, give Him a chance. He knows where you are, and where He wants you to be. But most of all, if you think you’ve escaped Him, look again. He’s right there.
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