The Best of the Portals of Prayer

Read: Psalm 23

“And they shall call His name Immanuel (which means, God with us).”
Matthew 1:23
Immanuel

It happened at Bethlehem. One moment, the earth and mankind were separated from God. The next moment, a Child was born, and God was with us here on earth, one of us, sharing our little life, holding our sins in His forgiving hands, lifting us into His heaven. Our Savior has many great names, but none greater than this: Immanuel! In one word we discover who He is and what He did. He is the eternal God, and He came to live with us.
Men like to say that they look for God and seek Him everywhere – in the majesty of the stars, in the far reaches of the universe, in the beauty and wonder of nature. But they can find Him there only after He has found them at the manger and the cross. Once He lay in the manger and walked to the cross, and now He lives forever in His Word. Seeking Him there, we shall always find Him, because He is already here and has found us. This is the magnificent, central truth of our faith. God with us! The world goes hurrying by, and the years of the world rush toward eternity. But we have no part in all of its hurry and confusion. Our souls are at rest, because they rest in Him who came to the place where we were and who will stay with us world without end.
O heavenly Father, we thank Thee with all our heart that Thou hast sent Thy Son to be our Redeemer, Companion, and Friend – our Immanuel – all the days of our life. Amen

January 05, 1948