Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "Immanuel" from the Old Testament. Isaiah 7:14:

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. KJV

This is the Hebrew word "`Immanuw'el" . Strong's Concordance says: with us is God. Brown-Driver-Briggs says:  the symbolic and prophetic name of the Messiah (the Christ), prophesying that He would be born of a virgin and would be `God with us'. The Theological Word Book adds: With us is God. This proper name occurs twice. It is the name to be given to the child to be born of the virgin (Isaiah 7:14). Isaiah addresses Judah's king, of Davidic lineage, as Immanuel (Isaiah 8:8). The prophet also gives the meaning and application of the name by stressing that, in spite of what a disobedient king does, God will be with his covenant people (Isaiah 8:10). The name Immanuel gives expression to the truth God had expressed in various ways to his covenant people in times previous to Isaiah. He had specifically said that he would be God to Abraham and his seed (Genesis 17:7). He would go with Jacob (Genesis 28:15) and Moses (Exodus 3:12). God identified with his people saying he had taken them to be his possession (Exodus 19:5-6). The angel of his name would go with and guard his people (Exodus 23:20,24). To Joshua the word came, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you" (Joshua 1:5). To David God said, "I have been with you" (2 Samuel 7:9).  Solomon earnestly prayed that the Lord would be with him and Israel as he had been with David (1 Kings 8:57). By various visible means, i.e. cloud, pillar of fire, and the ark of the covenant the Lord confirmed his word. He was with his people. He led, upheld, and blessed them. Isaiah, speaking to Ahaz, assured him that the faithful covenant God was present as he had been and as he would be in the incarnate Son to be born of the virgin. Thus the past, present, and future intimate relationship of God's presence with his people is summed up in the name Immanuel. 

I LOVE this! God IS and ALWAYS will be WITH HIS PEOPLE! No matter what happens from one day to the next, our GOD will NEVER leave us, but will be EVER PRESENT in us and with us to supply our every need! Here is Hillsong with an older Christmas song called "We Have A Saviour":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!