There is only one strong, safe, and secure place for me; it’s in God alone, who gives me strength for the battle. He’s my shelter of love and my fortress of faith, who wraps himself around me as a secure shield. I hide myself in this one who subdues enemies before me. Psalm 144:1-2 (TPT)
When God called Himself Emmanuel, the very name itself carried with it the promise of companionship. We have been assured that we will never be alone, or abandoned, or without a very present friend. Proverbs 18:24 tells us that, “God is the one who sticks closer than a brother“, and the parting words of Jesus are that, “He is always with us“. There is never a moment, not even a second that passes, that we do not have access to the tangible presence of God.
Our cleanliness never determines his closeness. We have been made righteous in Him. Often our lives don’t reflect this truth. Things go wrong, our choices bring unintended consequences, and sometimes we find ourselves sitting in a place we never thought we would end up, with the crumbled rubble of disaster lying all around us. It is in those moments that Emmanuel – God is with us. He comes, sits with us, cries with us, and comforts us. It is His voice that brings hope, direction and faith. There has never been a mess and will never be one that is too big, or too ugly, or too impossible that could ever scare Him away. I love the way Psalm 62:6 describes Emmanuel – “the present God, for he alone is my safe place. His wraparound presence always protects me as my champion defender.” There’s no risk of failure with God! So why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me? He is Emmanuel – the God who will always stay and will always be present, offering ALL of Himself to us.
Emmanuel – God with us is the tangible awareness of the bigness, the majesty, the awesomeness of God stepping into the room and resting on us. When He comes, we know it – the atmosphere shifts, our hearts are comforted, and we find rest. Our Father, Dad, Papa God is on the scene, and there is nothing we can’t face together.
Several years ago, I found myself in a difficult season. My dad was fighting Colon cancer, and if you have ever watched the devastation of this disease as it eats away at someone you love, you know the pain and challenge it brings. There was never a moment that I believed that God was teaching us all a lesson or that healing was not a real possibility. But, even with the promise of a different reality, a positive diagnosis, there were many nights I was awake. Praying, crying, processing the things I couldn’t understand. It was there that I met Emmanuel. God came and was with me.
After pouring out my heart and tears, I would collapse onto the couch and hope for a few minutes of restful sleep. It was in those moments that I felt God’s wraparound presence come. I wasn’t just sitting on my couch; I was sitting on His lap. Emmanuel had come to be with me, to hold me, and to wrap Himself around me. His strength was my strength, His peace was my peace, His comfort was my comfort. I could close my eyes and sleep knowing that God had picked up my cares and was carrying them for me.
God’s gift to me during that season was His presence. His all-encompassing, tangible arms holding me were an encounter that marked me. I called to Him as Emmanuel – He was with me, and I was with Him. I was not alone. I was not abandoned. I did not have to face the grief and sadness alone. Emmanuel doesn’t just mean God with us. It means God stays with us.
God offers us the opportunity not just to know His name or read about His character. We get to encounter and experience who God is. Life’s bumps and bruises are the times we experience the tender, compassionate love of a Father deeply touched by our circumstances. There is a standing invitation for us to come and join Him on the couch. When life is good, we celebrate, and when life is hard, He holds us.