Emmanuel, He Is With Us - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - December 26
Emmanuel, He Is With Us
By Keneesha Saunders-Liddie
“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” – Matthew 1:23
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I felt a lot of pressure to choose a name. I of course wanted to pick a name that sounded amazing, wasn’t too popular and has a great meaning. To relieve the pressure, I decided to write down a list of biblical names and give it to my husband to choose from.
As soon as he saw the list, he picked the one I liked the least! I guess I thought somehow God would point him toward the one I was leaning to, but that wasn’t the case.
Today, my daughter bears the name that my husband chose on impulse and it has grown on me. Honestly, I can’t think of a name that better suits her. Her name doesn’t have a fancy meaning, but it means crowned, and that’s good enough for me.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, didn’t have to stress like we did or read through countless books to pick a name for the promised Messiah. How blessed was she?
She had the awesome task of birthing and raising her Creator, and she knew exactly what his name was going to be.
His name would be Emmanuel, which means, God with us. God came to earth to experience what humans face, just to turn around and redeem us.
Today should be merry and bright as we remember the path Jesus chose to save me and you. As we look back to that night Mary conceived, let your friends and co-worker know of the joy that is to be found in this memorable occasion in history.
Mary was chosen to be the human mother of our Lord. Who has God chosen to bless you with? As we think about the baby Jesus and our own little children, ask yourself who are you raising?
Who has God placed in your care? Could your daughter or son be the next president, missionary, pastor, evangelist, lawyer, etc... whatever the case, it is part of your responsibility to train them in the way that they should go.
Teach them about the Christmas story, let them know the importance of the virgin birth and that Jesus is the reason for the season. Deuteronomy says it best but it’s in the way that we live each day moment by moment that we can show our kids who God is and why it is important to trust and love him.
As you think about the miraculous birth of Jesus, remember that our crowned prince, the Lion of the tribe of Judah is with us and wants us to glorify him.
Dear Jesus,
You have been so good to me and I’m so grateful that you chose the humble beginning of becoming human to rescue us. As we celebrate this day, help us to keep you at the forefront. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Keneesha is a wife, mom and writer. She is an avid reader of wholesome romance novels and a lover of writing. She is hoping to one day add author to her list of accomplishments. As a pastor’s kid she fell in love with the way Jesus loved her at an early age and want to encourage others to live for him through her words. You can find more musings from her here https://womenlovinggodsway.com.
Related Resource: Instead of Doing More This Summer, Maybe You Need to Do Less
If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
