Tag Archives: Never Alone

IMMANUEL, EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR

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(This is a revised version of a 2019 article)

Here we are in December, counting down the days until Christmas when we will celebrate the birth of Jesus. What a wonderful celebration it will be! But there is much more to it than thatβ€”Jesus is for π‘’π‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘¦ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘¦ of the year, not just December 25th. He is for the good days and bad, the joys and sorrows, the mountaintops and valleys. No matter the circumstances, there is cause to celebrate, if we are celebrating Him. He is Immanuel, every day of the year.

And He will be called Immanuel, which means God with us.1

β€œImmanuel. God with us. This is one of His names, one of His amazing characteristics, and one of His precious promises. He has said that He will never leave us, nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). When our hearts are heavy and our spirits are wounded, Immanuel. When our minds swirl and whirl in chaos and questions, Immanuel. When nothing makes sense and all hope seems lost, Immanuel. Storms rage. Dreams die. Immanuel. People leave. People die. Immanuel. Homes are lost. Possessions ravaged. Immanuel. Days are long. Nights are longer. Immanuel. Pits are deep. Scars are deeper. Immanuel. No one even understands our pain and the depths of it. Immanuel. In this name, there is hope and there is rest. Immanuel. Comfort can be found in knowing that we are not alone in what we are facing. We can rest, assured of His promise to always be with us. And because God always keeps His promises, we can cling to this name for all we are worth. Immanuel. When we are lost, we can find Him: Immanuel.”2

NOTES

1 See Matthew 1:23.

2 Francee Strain, No Ordinary Invitation: Called to Live a Life of Eternal Purpose, (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2017), 65-66.

Β©Text and photo Francee Strain, December 23, 2022.  This is a revised version of an article posted December 14, 2019. 

Immanuel, Every Day of the Year

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For Facebook post Dec. 14, 2019

(Repost of 2019 article)

Here we are in December, counting down the days until Christmas when we will celebrate the birth of Jesus. What a wonderful celebration it will be! But there is much more to it than that–Jesus is for π‘’π‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘¦ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘¦ of the year, not just December 25th. He is for the good days and bad, the joys and sorrows, the mountaintops and valleys. No matter the circumstances, there is cause to celebrate if we are celebrating Him. He is Immanuel, every day of the year.

AΙ΄α΄… Hᴇ α΄‘Ιͺʟʟ ʙᴇ α΄„α΄€ΚŸΚŸα΄‡α΄… Iα΄α΄α΄€Ι΄α΄œα΄‡ΚŸ, ᴑʜΙͺα΄„Κœ ᴍᴇᴀɴs Gᴏᴅ α΄‘Ιͺα΄›Κœ ᴜs.
(See Mα΄€α΄›α΄›Κœα΄‡α΄‘ 1:23)

“Immanuel. God with us. This is one of His names, one of His amazing characteristics, and one of His precious promises. He has said that He will never leave us, nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). When our hearts are heavy and our spirits are wounded, Immanuel. When our minds swirl and whirl in chaos and questions, Immanuel. When nothing makes sense and all hope seems lost, Immanuel. Storms rage. Dreams die. Immanuel. People leave. People die. Immanuel. Homes are lost. Possessions ravaged. Immanuel. Days are long. Nights are longer. Immanuel. Pits are deep. Scars are deeper. Immanuel. No one even understands our pain and the depths of it. Immanuel. In this name, there is hope and there is rest. Immanuel. Comfort can be found in knowing that we are not alone in what we are facing. We can rest, assured of His promise to always be with us. And because God always keeps His promises, we can cling to this name for all we are worth. Immanuel. When we are lost, we can find Him: Immanuel.”

Text and photo by Francee Strain, December 14, 2019.Β  Reposted December 22, 2021.

Quoted material excerpted from Francee Strain, π‘π‘œ π‘‚π‘Ÿπ‘‘π‘–π‘›π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘¦ πΌπ‘›π‘£π‘–π‘‘π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›: πΆπ‘Žπ‘™π‘™π‘’π‘‘ π‘‘π‘œ 𝐿𝑖𝑣𝑒 π‘Ž 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 π‘œπ‘“ πΈπ‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘›π‘Žπ‘™ π‘ƒπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘π‘œπ‘ π‘’, (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2017), 65-66.

Immanuel, Every Day of the Year

Posted on by

For Facebook post Dec. 14, 2019

Here we are in December, counting down the days until Christmas when we will celebrate the birth of Jesus. What a wonderful celebration it will be! But there is much more to it than that–Jesus is for π‘’π‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘¦ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘¦ of the year, not just December 25th. He is for the good days and bad, the joys and sorrows, the mountaintops and valleys. No matter the circumstances, there is cause to celebrate if we are celebrating Him. He is Immanuel, every day of the year.

AΙ΄α΄… Hᴇ α΄‘Ιͺʟʟ ʙᴇ α΄„α΄€ΚŸΚŸα΄‡α΄… Iα΄α΄α΄€Ι΄α΄œα΄‡ΚŸ, ᴑʜΙͺα΄„Κœ ᴍᴇᴀɴs Gᴏᴅ α΄‘Ιͺα΄›Κœ ᴜs.
(See Mα΄€α΄›α΄›Κœα΄‡α΄‘ 1:23)

“Immanuel. God with us. This is one of His names, one of His amazing characteristics, and one of His precious promises. He has said that He will never leave us, nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). When our hearts are heavy and our spirits are wounded, Immanuel. When our minds swirl and whirl in chaos and questions, Immanuel. When nothing makes sense and all hope seems lost, Immanuel. Storms rage. Dreams die. Immanuel. People leave. People die. Immanuel. Homes are lost. Possessions ravaged. Immanuel. Days are long. Nights are longer. Immanuel. Pits are deep. Scars are deeper. Immanuel. No one even understands our pain and the depths of it. Immanuel. In this name, there is hope and there is rest. Immanuel. Comfort can be found in knowing that we are not alone in what we are facing. We can rest, assured of His promise to always be with us. And because God always keeps His promises, we can cling to this name for all we are worth. Immanuel. When we are lost, we can find Him: Immanuel.”

Text and photo by Francee Strain, December 14, 2019
Quoted material excerpted from Francee Strain, π‘π‘œ π‘‚π‘Ÿπ‘‘π‘–π‘›π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘¦ πΌπ‘›π‘£π‘–π‘‘π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›: πΆπ‘Žπ‘™π‘™π‘’π‘‘ π‘‘π‘œ 𝐿𝑖𝑣𝑒 π‘Ž 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 π‘œπ‘“ πΈπ‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘›π‘Žπ‘™ π‘ƒπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘π‘œπ‘ π‘’, (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2017), 65-66.