December 12, 2023: Oh! Here You Are.
- Liana V.
- Dec 12, 2023
- 3 min read
Oh! Here YouAre.
“So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.””
Matthew 1:22-23 NKJV
The Prophet, Matthew is referring to is Isaiah. Prophesying means to foretell future events by divine inspiration. This is what was prophesied 100s of years earlier:
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14 NKJV
Finally, God is with us! This is what all of creation has been waiting for since the garden of Eden. Jesus, the tangible physical presence of God on earth. He’s not only the presence but also the promise and character of God revealed. But…..God has been declaring that He is with us since the beginning.
“And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.””
Exodus 33:14 NKJV
“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.””
Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.””
Joshua 1:9 NKJV
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”
Isaiah 41:10 NKJV
“The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.””
Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV
How could we ever forget that God is with us? We do though don't we? We get discouraged, distracted, and doubtful. We allow our gaze to stray away from Jesus. Over and over again we forget His innumerable promises to be with us!
Jesus is the tangible presence of God, His glory, His heart, and His promise revealed. The entirety of the Old Testament points to Him. Jesus's birth is the climax of the Christian story- our hope.
I encourage you to take some time and dwell in the thought “God with us.” Allow yourself to be filled with His tangible felt presence, let gratitude overflow, and give out loud thanks for His nearness. He is everywhere and here all at once. He is present with others but also has His undivided attention on you.
Prayer: Thank you for being with me. You are near- never distant. You are God with me. Forgive me for forgetting at times how near you are but have based your location upon my feelings or emotions. You do not change according to the way I feel. You are the same. I pray that I would fully engage with what a beautiful miracle it is to have God and King of the entire universe here with me. It's in Jesus's name I pray-amen!
“Jesus, the Anointed One, is always the same—yesterday, today, and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 TPT
It's time to watch those favorite Christmas films. Pop some popcorn 🍿 the old-timey kind of way ( use coconut oil- it's the best). Get everyone their own bowls, blankets, and get snuggled up on the couch. I'd love to hear what Christmas film is an absolute must in your home.
I can get so distracted and discouraged during this time of year. Too much pressure to have things be perfect or make sure everything is extra special. This year I have been pulling back a bit and just focusing on time with others. Isn’t that really what we all want. Just time with family, friends and loved ones. I find that this season I feel God so much more when I take away the distractions.
I can feel God guiding me to just love others, be with others. Be a light and be kind to others. I have been really paying more attention to just obeying the prompting! Smile, offer a hand, just let someone know they are seen! God…
Its a wonderful Life seems to be one we usually do not miss or White Christmas. He has always been with me even before I realized it. Teaching and revealing his will and word to me. I will never ever forget where he brought me from.
We get discouraged, distracted and doubtful…. Yes I sure do. A few of those verses are ones I picked as life verses for my kids when they are born. Seeing them this morning was a beautiful reminder… the same things I want for them, God wants for me. ❤️
We watch Elf, The Grinch and some random ones on Netflix on repeat all December!
Amen! He is with ME and with you….in my quiet moments, moments of doubt and sadness, moments of happiness, HE is always with me and He quiets me with His singing and rejoicing over me…what a sight!
One of our favorite movies is “Christmas Story”. I remember they had it in a marathon one year and we had it playing in the background all day lol…. Happy memories when our kids were younger ❤️