God With Us
Emmanuel is not just a promise for Christmas, but each and every day. What did Jesus mean when He said the Spirit would be "with" us?
I’ve been working on a book project this week, giving it more attention than usual. It’s about Emmanuel, and I loved God’s grace in aligning this weekly content with something I’ve been spending the last couple of years studying and working on—the presence of God with us.
It can be a bit mind-boggling to consider an all-powerful, all-knowing, far superior God who would not only submit Himself to the ways of humanity to be physically with us but also gift us with the presence and power of His Spirit for everyday life. Who would do that? What almighty God would bring Himself so low and sacrifice so much for wretched humans?
Our God—Yahweh, Lord of Hosts, Prince of Peace, Emmanuel.
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.
John 14:16-17 (NASB)
The Word: With
G3326 | meta
As you can imagine, this word is used many times in the Scriptures, as much as we use it frequently in everyday life. 345 times in the KJV, it is translated as “with” and other times, after or among.1
denoting accompaniment
occupying an intermediate position between
in the midst of
present to guide and help one
by being present with them by his divine assistance
There are two pieces to this puzzle of “with” that are important to camp on concerning who our God is.
1) God sent His son, Jesus, to be with us as physically and tangibly as you are with the person closest to you right now or your dog is with you on the bed at night. It wasn’t figurative. God with us meant that God literally came down to earth to be WITH us just as Isaiah prophesied.
Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
Matthew 1:23 (NASB)
2) God is still with us today through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
I don't know about you, but this theology of Emmanuel—God with us—is one of the most comforting truths. No matter where I go or what I do, I know that God is with me because I have put my trust in Him.
When you are sad, God is with you.
When you are excited, God is with you.
When you are driving in your car blasting your favorite tunes, God is with you.
When you are putting your baby to sleep for the 3rd time at midnight, God is with you.
When you are taking your dog out to do its business, God is with you.
When you are watching the Olympics, God is with you.
When you are working, sleeping, fighting with your spouse, reading your Bible, watching Netflix, yelling at your kids, or doing your laundry, God is with you.
God is with you when you’re worshipping at church and God is with you when you haven’t been to church in years.
It’s wonderful that God is always with us, but it can also be terrifying. That’s the job of the Holy Spirit—to comfort, to spark wonder and awe, and to correct when needed. When we discussed “abiding” last week, we looked at how it is a two-way street. Jesus abides with us, too, in response to us abiding in Him. In this week’s word study, we see that become reality.
Throughout the book of John, we see the beauty and wonder of Jesus’ desire for unity (or withness) across every interaction Jesus had. His purpose was redemption and He prioritized unity in the process so we could understand the value of a God who is with us. Unity with each other, and unity with God.
The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be
one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
John 17:22-24 (NASB)
We don’t need to get stuck on the practicalities of this concept because not everything about God makes practical sense to us, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t real. Take Dumbledore’s wise words from the end of the final Harry Potter book.
“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry’s ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure.
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”2
Of course, not everything about God is only happening within our minds and hearts. Jesus was a real man who walked the earth WITH us, but nowadays, we rely on the “withness” of God internally—spiritually. That doesn’t make it any less real.
I don’t know what circumstances you’re walking through right now or if your overall emotional state is pleasant or distraught. I do know that God is with you through every tear, smile, frown, and furrow.
I pray you would feel warmed by God’s presence and the knowledge that whatever you’re facing, you don’t have to face alone. I pray you would know that our God is not a distant God who expects perfection; rather, Jehovah is a God who draws near and desires unity and presence with His people.
If you don’t feel God’s presence, I encourage you to pray for Him to reveal Himself in new ways to you today.
The Lord is near to all who call on Him,
To all who call on Him in truth.
Psalm 145:18
It’s translated as after 88 times and among 5 times. Strong’s G3326
Yes, I am quoting a book about witchcraft in a Substack about God, and I believe God is with me when I watch the Harry Potter movies, too, and He knows my heart is pledged to Him and Him alone.
Anyway, this quote comes from J.K. Rowling’s book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1038130-tell-me-one-last-thing-said-harry-is-this-real. It is such a profound moment that always causes me to pause and think. We are constantly arguing about the existence of God because we can’t prove it, and what Dumbledore says at this moment is striking because it hits on the very real reality of faith—just because it’s happening in our heads and hearts and can’t be seen directly by others, that doesn’t make it any less real.