Have you ever prayed for the presence of Christ to be so tangible in your life that you can feel and see it? I think all of us who call ourselves Christ followers have prayed a prayer like this at one point or another.
While the Holiday season can be a season of hope and renewal, it is often a season of restlessness and fear about the future. It’s easy to lose our perspective on the hope of Christ when we are focused on our momentary lack. If you have felt that way, be encouraged, you are not alone! I will be the first to say that I have been there before, doubting and wondering if God was going to show up.
This past Christmas season, finances had been very tight. Things didn’t seem to add up and my husband and I worried about providing gifts for our young toddlers plus paying all the bills that were due. We felt overwhelmed with stress and doubt.
During this season of uncertainty, my husband began to pray and truly ask the Lord for a miracle. I didn’t realize how desperate our need was, as he didn’t share it all with me. He just began to pray.
A few days later, while the kids were eating dinner, he was opening mail that we had picked up from the mailbox. As crazy as it sounds, there in front of us was a check from our mortgage company saying we had paid too much over the year and they were refunding us a check. This check was around the exact amount of our monthly mortgage payments plus a little extra. We were in shock. But we knew it was God with us.
God was reminding us of His provision in every season. My husband and I praised and thanked God right there in our kitchen for His provision over our little family. We were left truly in awe at how God responded.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14 NIV).
When I read this verse during the Holiday season, I am often reminded that when Jesus came, He truly was Immanuel, God with us. He lived, breathed, walked, and was with us as God the Father had sent Him. He can sympathize with our pain and our weakness (Hebrews 4:15), and He knows our every need even before we ask (Matthew 6:8).
Matthew 1:23 says,
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”).
During the Christmas season, His Word contains some beautiful reminders to us:
Philippians 4:19 says, “…my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus,” and Matthew 6:28-30 says that if He clothes the flowers of the field, how much more will He take care of our needs.
If today you find yourself overwhelmed during the Christmas season like I did, call out to God. He is faithful to provide in every season. When things seem hopeless, He is present. Whether you need His financial provision or His comfort and peace for your mind, He is Immanuel, God with us. He became flesh and dwelt among us for this very reason.
I pray this Christmas season you would see the goodness of God poured over your life. That even in the doubt, you would be reminded of His grace, provision, and overwhelming love for you. May you be blessed as you put your hope in Him.
Merry Christmas!
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