With only 18 days left until Christmas, we’re offering a free chapter from Mercy Mild to help you reflect on the hope and promises of Advent.
Click here to order Mercy Mild today: https://amzn.to/3ZhrKE0
18 Days Until Christmas: Immanuel
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:
Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son,
And she will call His name Immanuel.”
– Isaiah 7:14
We find ourselves within Jerusalem’s royal court. Two hostile kingdoms breathe threats against Judah. King Ahaz scans intelligence reports with trembling hands while his advisors whisper worst-case scenarios. In the midst of this political chaos, God sends the prophet Isaiah with news that would change everything.
Seven centuries before that starlit night in Bethlehem—before shepherds would stumble upon a feeding trough turned cradle—God was already writing the opening lines of Christmas. Sometimes I wonder if Isaiah grasped the full weight of his words that day. Did he see, through the mists of time, Mary cradling her newborn son?
The immediacy of war pressed against Jerusalem’s walls. King Ahaz faced real threats from real armies. Yet God’s answer stretched far beyond the current crisis, pointing toward a greater deliverance through a greater King.
A Kingdom in Crisis: When Everything Falls Apart
Ever notice how history keeps teaching us the same lessons? In Isaiah’s time, the news would’ve sounded familiar: political tensions rising, threats of invasion, leaders scrambling for solutions. God’s people found themselves caught in the middle of it all. King Ahaz ran Judah then, and he had big problems on his hands—enemy armies gathering at the borders, whispered conversations in palace hallways about military strategies and desperate alliances.
Right in the middle of this chaos, God speaks through Isaiah. His words cut straight through the political noise: “It will not happen; it will not occur” (Isaiah 7:7). While everyone else is running around with emergency plans and worst-case scenarios, God simply says no—not happening.
Then He adds, “If you will not believe, you certainly shall not last” (Isaiah 7:9). No fancy political strategies, no complicated military maneuvers. Just this: trust Me. Stand firm.
We’re not so different from those ancient Judeans, are we? When pressure builds and threats loom, our first instinct isn’t usually to stand still in faith. We want plans, strategies, guarantees. But God keeps inviting us to something different—something harder, maybe, but also simpler: trust Him. Stand firm.
Sometimes the biggest act of courage isn’t doing more; it’s standing still and remembering who God is. And sometimes, just like in that ancient throne room, the biggest question isn’t whether God will come through—it’s whether we’ll take Him at His word.
Isaiah’s Encounter with Ahaz: When God Says “Ask Me Anything”
Sometimes God’s offers catch us completely off guard. Picture this scene: Isaiah stands before King Ahaz, and what happens next still makes me shake my head in wonder. God basically hands Ahaz a blank check: “Ask for a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven” (Isaiah 7:11).
Can we pause there for a moment? The Creator of everything just told a worried king, “Pick something—anything—and I’ll prove Myself to you.” The same God who hung the stars says, “Need proof? Name it.”
Wonder what sign you’d ask for if God made you that same offer today.
Ahaz’s Response: When We Say No to God
God offers King Ahaz anything—any sign at all—and Ahaz does something we’ve all done: he finds a spiritual-sounding way to say no.
“I will not ask, nor will I put the Lord to the test!” (Isaiah 7:12). The words probably sounded good, religious even. Ahaz stood there, dust from enemy armies on the horizon, advisors whispering “practical solutions” in his ear. God offered him proof—real, tangible proof that everything would be okay if he’d just trust heaven’s strategy instead of earth’s politics.
But he couldn’t do it. Or wouldn’t. That’s where Ahaz stood: between trust and terror, between God’s offer and his own plans. And he chose his plans.
Sometimes I wonder what went through Isaiah’s mind watching this unfold. Did he want to grab Ahaz by the shoulders and shake some sense into him? The thing is, God didn’t need Ahaz’s permission to keep His promises. He was about to announce a sign anyway—one that would change everything.
The Sign: When God Speaks Anyway
Ahaz just fumbled his chance to trust God. The air’s still heavy with his “no.” But before that moment can settle, Isaiah’s voice cuts through the silence with something unprecedented:
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
And that word—“Therefore.” Don’t miss it. It’s as if God’s saying, “Oh, you won’t ask for a sign? Then I’ll give you one anyway. And it’ll be bigger than anything you would’ve dared to request.”
Right when Ahaz slams the door on trust, God throws open a window of hope—not just for him, but for all of us. This promise didn’t depend on Ahaz’s faith, didn’t need his permission. God was writing a story bigger than one king’s fears or failures.
And wait. What? A virgin birth? A child named Immanuel, meaning “God with us”?
You can almost see the confusion on people’s faces. This wasn’t the kind of sign anyone expected. No dramatic displays of power, no immediate solutions to pressing problems. Just a promise. A baby. God choosing to step into our mess.
In that moment, while everyone’s worried about armies and alliances, God announces His plan to move into the neighborhood—to become one of us.
Seven hundred years later, in a Bethlehem stable, this promise would take its first breath. But right there, in that throne room, God was already announcing: I’m coming. I’ll be with you. Your unbelief can’t stop My faithfulness.
Maybe you need to hear that today too. His plans don’t depend on our perfect faith—they flow from His perfect faithfulness.
The Precision of Prophecy: God’s Promises Come in Layers
God rarely works in straight lines. Take Isaiah’s prophecy about Immanuel. Most people would hear it once, nod, and move on. But there’s something else happening here.
Think of it this way: you know those signs on the highway—“Next exit: 2 miles” and also “State line: 150 miles”? God’s promises work like that. They point to something right around the corner and something way down the road.
In that throne room, Isaiah’s words cut through the panic like a sword: “God’s got this. He’s still in control.” But those same words also pointed centuries ahead. They hinted at a night in Bethlehem that would change everything.
Seven hundred years pass. A young woman breathes through contractions in a stable. Right there, between one breath and the next, God shows up—not in theory, not in principle, in person. The Word becomes flesh and moves in next door.
That baby? He wasn’t just the fulfillment of one promise; He was the “yes” to every promise God ever made.
When God makes a promise, He doesn’t just deliver once; He delivers again and again. Those words Isaiah spoke weren’t just true for their time—they’re still unfolding today.
Because Immanuel isn’t just a historical fact. It’s not just something that happened in a throne room or a stable. It’s happening right now, wherever you are.
God with us.
Still true. Still unfolding. Still changing everything.
Approaching Advent: What This Means for Us
If we’re honest, we all face Ahaz moments—times when everything feels shaky, when God offers something that seems too good to be true. And that’s where it gets real.
Because every morning, we wake up to the same choice Ahaz faced: trust our plans or trust God’s presence? Grab for control or open our hands to receive?
We’re not just remembering a story that happened. That baby born in Bethlehem didn’t just fulfill an ancient prophecy; He proved that God doesn’t just make promises—He becomes the promise.
God with us.
Not God above us. Not God watching us. With us.
What if we actually believed this? What if we let it sink from our heads into our hearts? What if we lived like we’re never alone?
As Christmas gets closer, that’s our invitation—not just to remember a prophecy fulfilled, but to experience it personally. To discover that the God who kept His promise to Isaiah and Mary is still showing up today.
Right here. Right now. Right where you are.
Because that’s what Christmas really means: God didn’t just send a message—He moved in. And He’s still here.
A Prayer for the Day Ahead
Heavenly Father,
The way You thread Your story through centuries—the way You show up in throne rooms and stables—the way You keep proving that distance and time can’t stop You. Thank You for being the God who doesn’t just make promises; You become them. Immanuel. God with us.
When anxiety creeps in, when decisions loom large, when I’m tempted to handle everything myself—help me remember that throne room. Help me choose differently than Ahaz did. Help me trust Your presence more than my plans. Thank You that Your promise of presence didn’t end in Bethlehem. You’re here now. Still showing up. Thank You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Reflection Questions for Believers
- How does seeing Christmas as fulfilled prophecy strengthen your trust in God’s promises?
- What does it mean for you personally that Jesus is “Immanuel—God with us”?
- How does this truth change your perspective on: Current challenges? Future uncertainties? Daily decisions?
Spiritual Conversation Starters for Unbelievers
- “The Christmas story was actually predicted centuries before it happened. What are your thoughts about ancient prophecies and their fulfillment?”
- “Isaiah urged people to look beyond their immediate struggles toward a future hope. Where do you find hope in challenging times? For me, Jesus offers hope.”
- “The concept of ‘God with us’ suggests a very personal divine presence. How do you view the idea of a God who wants to be personally involved in our lives?”
Click here to order Mercy Mild today: https://amzn.to/3ZhrKE0
#AdventDevotional #MercyMild #Isaiah714 #Immanuel #ChristmasDevotions #AdventSeason #ChristCentered #ChristianBooks #GiftOfFaith