The promise of God’s presence, Part I, from Ezekiel 48:35 reveals that God is “Yehovah Shammah,” which means “the LORD is there.” God is there for us all the time before, during, and after any situation that presents itself. When things are hard, Ezekiel reminds us that God is there, and we need to trust in that promise.
While Ezekiel tells us about “Yehovah Shammah,” Matthew 1:23 tells us about Immanuel.
Immanuel, which means “God with us,” removed the boundaries of Yehovah Shammah being a far distance God to one who is closer to His people. The fulfillment of this promise found in Matthew 1:23 was first announced in the Old Testament.
Often when I meditate on Scripture, I either ask a question or discover an enigma from something I previously read. This time around, it was discovering another promise.
God is not only Yehovah Shammah, He is Immanuel. It was not enough for God to give us His presence and ask us to trust that He is present. Instead, He became Immanuel.
In Exodus 33, God’s presence was enough for Moses and the Israelites to move forward without fear.
The presence of God was what distinguished Moses as a leader and the Israelites as a people (Exodus 33: 15-16). All they wanted was God’s presence.
Like a shield, He protected them, and as their God, they worshiped Him.
We, on the other hand, are privileged because we have the indwelling presence of God.
The name Immanuel was first introduced by the prophet Isaiah. I believe the Israelites at the time, like us today, wanted more. It became hard to simply trust that God was present. They wanted signs, but they were afraid to ask because that seemed like putting God to test to prove Himself (Isaiah 7: 12, my own interpretation).
What I love about God is He knows our thoughts, and when we are afraid to ask Him, He still provides an answer. Asking God a question enables us to enter into a conversation with Him, so do not be scared to ask Him questions.
Yehovah Shammah came to dwell among His people. He is no longer simply “There” but “With” us through it all.
In sickness, God is ‘there’ ‘with’ us.
In marriage conflicts, God is ‘there’ ‘with’ us.
As a leader, God is ‘there’ ‘with’ us.
No matter where we are in our journey, He is Yehovah Shammah Immanuel.
Christmas is not the only time we see God present but each day of the year. God, through Jesus Christ, Immanuel came into flesh to heal us, to answer us, to show us love and free us from sin.
He is ‘with’ us in the storm to calm the storm. He is ‘with’ us to fight our battles.
He is ‘with’ us to comfort us when we mourn. He is ‘with’ us when we are celebrating.
He never leaves us.
And that, my friend, is a privileged intimate relationship we can have with Yehovah.
It can be hard to trust in the promise that He is ‘there,’ so He made himself available to be ‘with’ us.
God is with me, and He loves me.
Let that sink in…
- Join Us for National Day of Prayer Session - May 4, 2022
- Join Us For The Journey: I Commit 365 Prayer – A Mom’s Story of Faith, Fear, Trauma and Healing - April 27, 2021
- Join Us For “Women of the Bible” Series - January 19, 2021
