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10th Day of Christmas Giveaways with Micca Campbell
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Welcome to the 10th Day of Christmas Giveaways!!!
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Today my friend Micca Campbell is here to share her post, “Immanuel, God with Us.” She is giving away Ann Voskamp’s book, “The Greatest Gift, Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas.” Micca Campbell is an author of, Untroubled Heart, and a national speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries. Micca’s passion is to help others Fear Less and Live More of the abundant life in Christ. Connect with her on Facebook, twitter, and her site at miccacampbell.com
To join in on the fun and be entered to win the various prizes, simply leave a comment on the post answering the question of the day. ALSO—one grand prize will be given to one person who comments on all 12 days.
The Grand Prize is a $50 gift certificate to Proverbs 31 Ministries store and a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com!!!
Now here is Micca for today’s post…
Immanuel God With Us
I woke to the cooing of my 8-month-old son in need of a dry diaper and a bottle. By the time I got to his room, I was fully awake to my reality. It was Christmas morning. Sigh. I had dreaded the arrival of this day.
It was the first Christmas after my husband’s death.
Most of my days consisted of loneliness and grief. I knew facing the holidays would be worse. I felt so alone.
My heart was joyless. There was no one to wish a Merry Christmas. No gifts to open. No celebration. For me, it was just another ordinary day of going through the motions. I’d care for my son and try to survive the grief and loneliness.
Have you ever been this lonely? Your situation may not be like mine, but I do know during difficult times God often feels distant. Uncaring. Unresponsive. Unaware. And yet, Psalm 139:7 challenged my feelings that Christmas Day.
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (NIV)
The Psalmist was clear. God is everywhere. There is nowhere I can go that God is not already there.
As I pondered this truth, hope began to rise in my heart. I am never alone because God is with me in every situation, good or bad.
Isn’t this the message of Christmas — God is with us? Isn’t this the essence of our faith — God is with us?
Perhaps this is what inspired Matthew to write: “‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means, ‘God with us.’)” (Matthew 1:23).
That name, Immanuel, holds great significance for you and me.
This Name tells us Christ didn’t come that holy night to say “well done.” He didn’t come to pat us on the back or encourage us for just a time. He came to stay. God came to dwell among us and to reside within us forever.
Sure, God has always been with us, but this truth took on a whole new meaning when Jesus was born. The astounding truth of Christmas is that God put on human flesh and became one of us.
That’s not all. This baby Jesus didn’t come only to walk among us. He came to deliver us and set us right with God. The coming of Jesus meant God the Father had now sent His Son to deliver the world from sin.
What does this mean for you and me? It means no matter the challenge, you are not alone. Whatever your need — deliverance, strength, hope — Immanuel is present. He is not some far-off God. He is right there beside you this very moment.
My days grew brighter as I looked for God’s company amidst my pain. Eventually, I no longer trudged through ordinary days because my extraordinary God met me at my point of need. The secret is this. The more I learned to acknowledge His presence, the more of His presence I experienced. You can, too.
No matter where you are this Christmas Eve, you are not alone.
You may feel alone. It may appear that you are alone. But Christ is there with you. He sees you. He understands. And He can help you.
This year can be different. You can celebrate Christmas morn with new joy because He — God Himself — has come to be with you. In His magnificent company, though you may be down and out, you are not without. You are not without His love or His all-sufficient strength. You are not without His safety. You are not without His care or provision. And you are not without His presence.
This is the best news of all. Immanuel, God is with us!
God has provided for us so many times. Recently He used an ex-con to bless us with some extra groceries. We were humbled and in awe of how He knows our need and can meet it any way that He chooses.
Thank you for this beautiful post. I have learned to trust that God is with me always, even when my feelings aren’t there. I know His word is truth. There are 80 plus verses in the Bible telling us God is with us. When I do not feel Him with me, I know Satan is at work, filling me with doubt and lies. He promises we will have troubles, sadness, grief and more in this world. Thankful for His awesome promises of being with us no matter what we are going through. God is good. Thankful for the birth of Jesus! Praying for the opportunity to share Christ with someone today. Let me be a light in this dark world, so others can know Jesus is with them no matter what happens.
I felt God’s presence just this last weekend when we were driving across four states to be with our kids for Christmas. Normally we drive through blizzards and icy roads. This year, the roads were clear all of the way. A blessing indeed.
God is with us, even when he seems distant. With Him leading, we can find our way out of the grief.
When I was pregnant with my daughter we had a drunk driver hit my car as it was parked in our driveway. The car was totaled and would have probably injured anyone who was in it. When the police officer was at our house taking our statements, I realized what time it was. On any ordinary Wednesday I would have just been coming home from my second job when the driver hit my car. This particular Wednesday, however, I had taken off of work because we had our first ultrasound. In that moment I could feel God wrapping his arms around me and whispering “I will protect you and this child always.”