Scripture: Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Devotion: For all of time, humanity has been longing for a Savior. It doesn’t take much reflection on the history of this world to see this need: plagues, genocide, and world wars have all made their mark. You can open up the Old Testament and see how sin corrupted all people, including God’s chosen people. Take, for example, King Manasseh of Judah, “He [Manasseh] did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, ‘In Jerusalem I will put my Name.’ In the two courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger” (2 Kings 21:2-6).
Throughout all of history, we have needed a Savior. Individually and collectively, we have struggled. We have struggled through the loss of loved ones, sickness, and mental health issues. We have struggled through political upheavals, idol worship, and blasphemy of God. Over and over again, we struggle. But the light in even the worst of struggles is that we are not alone in them. God is always with us. In fact, He loves us so much that He sent His very Son right into the midst of those struggles.
He was called Immanuel—God with us. Jesus came to walk this very earth. He experienced the ups and downs of life. He had the joy of a loving family and the heartache of the betrayal of a friend. He was tempted in the wilderness by Satan. He witnessed the corruption of this world. And yet, He still came to this world in order to live the life we could never live and die the death that we deserve. He took all of our struggles upon His shoulders.
He experienced the struggles. We do not need to feel as though we are alone in our struggles. We have a sympathetic high priest. And even in the midst of the most torrential storms of life, we know that He has been there. We know that our God loves us, sees us, and cares for us. We are never alone.
Reflect:
- Knowing that Jesus walked this earth and experienced the same highs and lows of this life as we do, how does that change your perspective on whatever struggle you are currently facing?
