Monday, October 29, 2007

Emmanuel

"God with us." That's the meaning of the name of Jesus "Emmanuel". In light of last night's post, this is significant because He is not "up there" in a distant sense, but "down here" in the sense of being with us. Through the Holy Spirit, we experience what I've heard called the "withness" of God.

The stuff of life. That's where His "withness" is expressed and experienced most profoundly. We expect Him to show up at church (at least we should - a whole other story :) ). But have we quit expecting Him to show up in the stuff of life?

This is especially a challenge to those of us in a western setting, where naturalistic explanations and human solutions abound for almost every conceivable problem. But in your settings I know you too face this challenge, because it is a struggle that hits at the heart of faith itself - trusting God to be for us in the stuff of life.

Abraham Kuyper captured this idea with these unforgettable words: "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!'"

My prayer for you today is simple: David said it long ago in Psalm 20, and it is incredibly practical. May you experience His "withness" today.

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!
May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!
Selah

May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans!
May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!
Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
He will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
But we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.

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