Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.”  Isaiah 7:14

As we draw near to the Christmas season, we are reminded of the significance and reality of this verse in our lives. God reveals the depth of His love for humanity in the miraculous birth of this promised Son. Isaiah foresaw the reign of Messiah from Jerusalem (Is 2:2-4). In the promise of this Son, we see how God fulfils His promise not only to Abraham that through Him, the nations of the earth would be blessed but bring the One Isaiah saw high and lifted up, seated on the throne of glory (Is 6:1, Jn7:41) be born in a stable. This promised Son is God’s greatest gift to the world. 

At a time when many people in our generation are looking for meaning in all the wrong places and being taught that the needs of the self are paramount, leading only to greater dissatisfaction with life, Isaiah’s promise of a son speaks hope to this lost and needy generation.

This is the promise of God, a promise that He made over and over again to His people that He would not leave them or forsake them. Moses reminded them of this twice in Deut 4. And perhaps we also need this reminder: God keeps his covenant promises because of His mercy: mercy to a world which has forsaken Him, He gave His Son, and giving the name Immanuel, God with us. And mercy to us who believe because Jesus promised us that He, too would not leave or forsake us when He said, “ Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:20)

This reflects the deepest desire of God’s heart; from the moment God created Adam and Eve to share the joy of His presence, yet they chose the lie of Satan, and as a result, sin entered the human race. Yet because of His love, God kept reaching out. The promise of Immanuel is the proof of God’s love and mercy, which is the experience of all who put their trust in Jesus. 

It is the abiding presence of God in our lives; the God who longed to dwell in the midst of His people now dwells in the hearts of those who put their hope and trust in Jesus, the promised Son. God with us is what we need to know. It answers the deep loneliness in people’s hearts, which, despite acquiring what they desire and achieving all they hope for, there is still something missing. It speaks to the emptiness that can only be filled with God’s Presence. 

This is the Christmas miracle: God’s Presence in us changes lives, brings hope to the lost, and meaning to those who seemingly have everything but, in reality, have nothing and healing to the wounded. And to the follower of Jesus, a reminder that by His Spirit we are never alone, that in the darkness He is our guiding light, and with Him, we find that He is the answer in our daily struggles. 

This Christmas the Jewish people still await their promised Messiah. They have not seen Jesus in Isaiah’s promised Son. Join with us to pray that as we celebrate His birth, the Lord would open their eyes so that they might see Him who was pierced for our transgressions and by whose wounds we are healed. (Is 53:5) 

Fiona Sorbala

Co-Director Chosen People Ministries (UK)