Immanuel - God is With Us

One of my favorite Christmas carols is "Immanuel." As we sang it in church this past week-end, I thought about the words to the chorus:

                                Immanuel our God is with us
                And if God is with us who can stand against us
                                     Our God is with us
                                            Immanuel

In the madness of the holiday season, it's easy to forget God is with us. As we frantically seek to meet every obligation, we begin to think only of ourselves and how to survive the craziness. But Immanuel still wants to be part of our lives as we search for the perfect gift for our stepchild, attend our child's Christmas program, or negotiate the visitation schedule with our ex-spouse.

If we remember to include God in our interactions with others, He will "stand against us" as the song says. He will fight for what we want and work on our behalf to meet our needs in the midst of challenging circumstances.

But if we try to do everything in our own strength, we will make self-centered decisions, we will have brash interactions with others, and we will run out of energy before our tasks are accomplished. 

So the choice is ours. Will we make it a priority to include God in our holiday schedule or will we choose to walk our own path and miss the blessing God offers when we choose to walk with Him?

I encourage you to listen to the entire song of Immanuel here. It's words will speak meaning to an empty heart or a burdened soul.

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means, "God with us." (Matthew 1:23)

What choice will you make? Will you share how you make it a priority to include God in your everyday schedule despite the distractions of the season?

Related Posts:

Holiday Tip: Live by Faith, Not Fear

Prayer Changes Relationships

Keep Christ in Christmas
 
*"Immanuel" is written and sung by Michael Card