23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). ~ Matthew 1:23
Have you ever been praying but feel as though you aren’t alone? Like there’s something in the room with you, and it makes you uneasy? It makes it difficult to close your eyes because you feel like there’s something there? This happens to me sometimes. Then, a thought came to me as I struggled to keep my eyes closed:
What good is your eyes being opened vs. closed? If there is something there, what will your eyes being opened do? Will it suddenly make it disappear? Do you have more faith in what your eyes can or cannot see than in the God who says I will go before you and behind you?
See, we humans were created in time bound to the physical world by our physical bodies. We think in a very physical and natural sense. Our eyes are some important that Jesus described them as being the gateway or door of the soul. So, when we can’t see something with our eyes, it’s hard to trust that it’s there. Fear capitalizes on this sense.
Because we can’t see God with our natural eyes, it’s difficult for us to fully put our faith in Him. We trust Him but not fully because the unseen, the unknown, it still causes fear to enter our minds and hearts. Fear can manifest in many ways: doubt, worry, anxiety, terror, etc.
The root of all fear is the lack of love. See, perfect love casts out all fear because it’s within that perfect love we no longer put our faith in what we can see but in the God that we cannot see. Dwelling in the perfect love of God is saying all my faith is in Christ, so I don’t need to fear what may happen. It’s putting all of your faith into the promise:
He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Jesus hasn’t left you. He’s still with you. He’s Immanuel, God with us. He dwells in us, through us, and is in constant intercession for us. He even baptized us in His Holy Spirit so that we might never be without Him. Nothing can separate us from that love. The moment we believe that is the moment we give life to that verse, and we’re filled with the very power of God, for He will send His angels concerning you.
Jesus may not be here physically, but He is with us spiritually. He is Immanuel. Don’t allow the enemy to strike you with Fear. Know your God, for He is come.
Dear LORD, please strengthen my faith this Christmas season. Please help me not to end this year the same way I started it. Help me to dwell in Your perfect love and keep in step with Your Holy Spirit. Please cover me in Your perfect blood and keep Your angels watching over me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
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