13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel.” ~ Isaiah 7:13-14
Isaiah uttered the prophecy of the virgin birth of the coming Messiah on the behalf of God around 700 years before its fulfillment. King Ahaz of Judah was about to be attacked by Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the king of Israel. The two kings had conspired together to overtake Judah and place someone else on the throne.
When King Ahaz was advised about the impending doom, he and all his people were terrified at the news, and their hands trembled and their knees knocked together. But God, in His great mercy and in His grace, had other plans for Judah. He said, “No, nothing like that is going to happen here. Matter of fact, I will bring disaster on both of those kings and their countries. Then, He told Ahaz to ask for a sign, but Ahaz would not. So, God said alright then, since you will not ask for a sign, I will give you and the whole world a sign. The sign is, the virgin will give birth to a Son, and His Name shall be called Immanuel.
This was a prophecy about Jesus and His virgin birth. The virgin was Mary. Now, think about this. Mary could very well have read that same portion of Scripture herself, maybe several times before, or she could have heard that Scripture, but never once did she realize that the virgin prophesied about it was her. God Himself had prophesied about her that she would deliver hope to the world. Jesus is our hope, and the only hope for the whole world.
Ahaz and Judah found themselves in a hopeless situation. The two kings were way too strong for them. Therefore, they were terrified, but God…
When life happens, and it seems like the whole world has teamed up with all of hell against you and there is no way out. Remember the promise of Christmas. God is with us. The Scripture says, “…If God is for us, who can be against us?” NIV Romans 8:31b. God has sent His Son Immanuel, which means God with us because He is always with us. When trouble comes, or temptations, or persecutions, do not fear what the world will throw at you or what the enemy’s plans for you are; just remember that God has better plans because God is for you, and God is with you, and if He is with you, He will never leave you, nor will He let you be overcome by the enemy. Repeat it, God is with us.
Father, thank You for giving us Your Son Jesus, who is actually God with us. I surrender my will to You and ask that You be king of my heart. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.