God With Us Part 1 - Through the Valley
November 27, 2022
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” —Matthew 1:23
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. —John 1:1, 14
- Rather than just
Matthew 1:20-23. The Angel’s announcement to Joseph:
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is ]conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” —Matthew 1:20-23
That’s the beginning of Matthew. Here’s the end of Matthew:
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. —Matthew 28:19-20
- Names of God reveal His
- Immanuel is not just a Christmas message. It’s an
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. —John 14:16
St. Patrick’s Prayer (Partial)
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
Because I set you, Yahweh, always close to me, my confidence will never be weakened, for I experience your
presence every moment. —Psalm 16:8 (TPT) And the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.” —Ezekiel 48:35b
- God With Us is a truth to
1. He is God With Us through the valley.
Yea, though I walk
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are me. —Psalm 23:4 28 Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is God of the
, but He is not God of the ,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the .’ —1 Kings 20:28
He’s not just the God of the highpoints. He’s Emmanuel. He’s God with us both in the high points and the
God is with us, even when we’re at our lowest points.
If you
2. Valleys represent the
points in life.
- God is
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. —Psalm 34:18
How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? —Psalm 13:1-2
- The Psalms teach us how to acknowledge our
- The Psalms teach us to turn our pain into
- Valleys are places to learn humility, humanity, and
- Some Valleys are wider than others. They might take longer to get through. But rest assured: you are meant to go
3. Valleys represent the in-
times. This is both personal and prophetic.
a.
Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. —Psalm 105:19
- God’s promise to Joseph refined his character until it was time for his dreams to come true.
- There’s a purpose in the valley. The fruit of character is formed there.
b.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” —Luke 4: 18-21
The One who
Don’t misinterpret the valley, the in-between time as God’s forgetfulness. He is working in the valley. He is Immanuel in the valley!
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. —2 Peter 3:9