God with Us

 "My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their
 God, and they will be my people. Then the nations
 will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my
 sanctuary is among them forever."
                         (Ezekiel 37:27-28)

When you are facing a difficult situation, receiving a good word from someone who truly understands what you’re going through makes all the difference. Sure, it’s nice to get encouragement from those who know about, but don’t really understand, your situation; but it can be life-changing to hear someone say, “I’ve been there, and I know what you’re going through.” To feel truly understood, rather than just acknowledged, changes everything.

The people of Israel knew much about their God. As the writers point out in The Wonder of Christmas, the Israelites who lived before Jesus thought of God in three ways–God above us, God against us, and God for us.

First, they clearly understood the idea of God above us. They worshiped and acknowledged God as the Creator of everything and the One who led them. As the prophet Isaiah wrote,

 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
      neither are your ways my ways,"
      declares the LORD.
 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
      so are my ways higher than your ways
      and my thoughts than your thoughts."

(Isaiah 55:8-9)

Second, as they acknowledged God’s power and authority when they sinned, they believed in God against us. And third, when they thought they were doing everything just right, therefore deserving God’s favor, they were able to believe in God for us.

What do you believe and know about God? When you experience difficulties and hardships, what do you think about God then? Maybe you feel that God is watching from above, concerned about what’s going on down here (or perhaps not) while letting it play out on its own. (God above us.) Or maybe you’ve wondered if tragedy and grief are part of God’s punishment for our sins. (God against us.) Maybe when things are going well and prosperity seems like a reward for good behavior, you feel “blessed.” (God for us.)

It’s tempting to try to put God into one of these categories, but God wants us to have another understanding. This is why, on that first Christmas Day, God turned the tables on all of our preconceived notions about who God is and what God can do. God’s desire is not to be God above us or God against us or even God for us. God wants to be God with us:

 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said
 through the prophet: "The virgin will conceive and give
 birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which
 means "God with us").

(Matthew 1:22-23)

The Israelites had experienced a long history with God, but they did not believe that anyone could attain an intimate relationship with God. They thought that someone needed to intercede for them–a prophet, leader, priest, or king. But God had made a promise to be with God’s people always, and God meant to fulfill that promise in a bigger way than they could have imagined–Immanuel, God with us.

Prayer Focus
Have there been times in your life when you felt that God was above us, against us, or for us? How does God with us change everything? As you meditate today on what it means that Jesus is called Immanuel, “God with us,” ask how God wants to transform your preconceived notions of who God is and what God can do in your life.

From Rob Renfroe and Ed Robb, The Wonder of Christmas: Devotions for the Season