“But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” – Matthew 1:20-23


People today have lots of different reasons for what name they choose for their kids. Your name could be one that’s been passed down in your family. You could be named after someone famous. Your name could’ve been picked because someone liked the way it sounded. Or you could’ve gotten your name because of what it means. Think of people with names like Hope, Grace, or Victor. There can be a lot that goes into a name.


Read Matthew 1:20-23. Just as Joseph is preparing to quietly divorce Mary, an angel comes to him in a dream to tell him what Mary has already been told. The angel tells Joseph that Mary will conceive a Son by the power of the Holy Spirit, His name will be Jesus, and He will save His people from their sins. But take a look at this last part. A prophecy from Isaiah is quoted where Isaiah foretells the coming Messiah and what He will be called. He says that the Messiah will be born of a virgin and called Immanuel, which means “God with us.”


One of the most wonderful aspects of Jesus coming to earth is that He’s fully God and fully man. He is truly God with us. And He didn’t just come to be God with us for the people way back then. He came to be God with us even now, and when we have a relationship with Him, His Spirit lives within us and is with us every day. No matter what we walk through, we can take comfort that Jesus is still Immanuel, God with us. Find joy in that today.



QUESTIONS:


Does your name have any special meaning?


What do you think it means that God is with you in your daily life?