Emanuel, God is with us!

Several homes in our neighborhood have decorated for the season using cascading strands of lights, inflated Santas and reindeer attempting to lift-off to their annual errand, are mixed in with nativity scenes and stars beaming brightly enough to be seen on a Google map. One neighbor erected a simple, one-word, Advent message on their lawn. Large block letters, each on a separate board, spell “EMANUEL.”

A simple line in Genesis 39 captured my attention recently, “While Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him. (39:21) My neighbor’s one-word message is affirmed in prison! The “EMANUEL” message is simple, encouraging, and the foundation of practical faith.

At least fine simple applications of the “EMANUEL” message can be made.

• God is present wherever his people are. Prison can serve as a metaphor for nearly every undesirable life experience including sickness, aging, failures, and whatever you and I may face today. “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5) Prisons may keep people in, but they cannot keep the Lord out. Courts may rule whatever they wish, but the Lord is determined that He will never leave or forsake his people.
• The presence of God makes fear impotent. So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6) If we fearfully focus on the possible outcomes to challenges faced yesterday, may confront this afternoon, or may be secretly lurking to upend tomorrow, we will be paralyzed. But, “the Lord is with us!” “EMANUEL!”
• When the Lord is present, others notice. Potiphar noticed that the Lord was with Joseph. “The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.” (Genesis 39:2-3)
• When the Lord is present, we enjoy peace. Immediately after the resurrection Jesus appeared to the eleven fearful, disoriented followers whose hopes had been dashed. Jesus announced, “Peace be with you!” That moment may be one of the most powerful “EMANUEL” moments in all human history. Peace upended all her adversaries in one sentence of four words!
• The Lord who is present vindicates His people! Before Joseph’s story is completed his boyhood dreams are fulfilled in detail. His hateful, jealous brothers, so angry they were eager to kill, bowed down to him as the dreams foretold. After decades of estrangement, more than two years of unjust imprisonment, and fourteen years of rigorous national administrative duty – a long, long time – Joseph was vindicated. “EMANUEL” arranged everything for good and the salvation of Israel.
The Lord is not partial to a few, but to all who will follow His lead. David had great success because “the Lord was with him.” (1 Samuel 18) Hezekiah knew the Lord’s blessing because “the Lord was with him.” (2 Kings 18) The original Pentecostal church scattered as Saul of Tarsus tightened the screws of persecution, “But those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. “The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”

Charles Austin Miles, a native of New Jersey and citizen of Philadelphia wrote Gospel songs. One from my boyhood captures the “Emanuel” theme and reinforces faith.


It may be in the valley, where countless dangers hide;
It may be in the sunshine that I, in peace, abide;
But this one thing I know—if it be dark or fair,
If Jesus is with me, I’ll go anywhere!

Refrain:
If Jesus goes with me, I’ll go anywhere!
’Tis heaven to me, where’er I may be, if He is there!
I count it a privilege here, His cross to bear,
If Jesus goes with me, I’ll go anywhere!

Remember, we are locked in a prison, in one of life’s unpredictable challenges that hems us in for the moment, but “the Lord is present!” No one can keep Him out! EMANUEL, the Lord is with us! Hallelujah!