Scripture:
Matthew 1:23 ~ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name ‘Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”
This speaks to the same attribute that God is omnipresent, that God is everywhere. The slight difference is Emmanuel means God is with us.
The phrase about God making His dwelling or living among people appears in several key Bible verses:
John 1:14 ~ “…the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
Revelation 21:3 ~ “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them.”
Ezekiel 37:27 ~ “My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
II Corinthians 6:16 ~ “I will live with them and walk among them.”
The Hebrew word for “dwelling place” is “tabernacle”, which means God pitched a tent and “tabernacled” with us when He came to earth as a human. This is as close as God could be – the “with-ness” of God. To become a human means to understand everything, not as a distant observer, but as One actually entering into human struggles. Omnipresence means God is everywhere, but “with-ness” is an engaged, meaningful connection. It’s personally relational. God is close during our difficulties, not only when things are going well.
Jesus also said before ascending to Heaven: (Matthew 28:20) ~ “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”. He spoke these words to His disciples right after telling His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations.
Prayer:
Oh, thank You, Jesus, for being “with” me. You understand everything because you’ve experienced everything. You understand me better than I even understand myself. You will never turn your back or walk away. I will not experience rejection from You – only Love. Love that will not let go. Oh, what a glorious thought! You “with me to the very end of the age.”
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Indeed to the very end. I love that “with-ness”. Thank you