Immanuel

All of us have had people that influenced our lives. 

It may have been your mom or dad.  It might’ve been a teacher or friend.  It might’ve been a pastor.

But eventually, the time will come when they can’t be there for you anymore.  Either because they move away, or pass on to the other side. 

And so the question is, what do you do when they’re not there for you anymore?

That’s what Joshua and the people of Israel were facing. 

Moses had led them in the desert for 40 years.  But now, he told them,

I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you.

The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ (Deuteronomy 31:2)

I wonder what Joshua and the people thought when they heard it.

I would guess there was a cold emptiness in their stomachs. 

They probably thought to themselves, “Moses isn’t going with us?  But what are we going to do without him?  We can’t go on without him.”

But Moses told the people,

The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you… 

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you…

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  (Deuteronomy 31:3, 6, 8)

So many times, we go through tough times in our lives.  We face mountains that are tough to climb.  We face trials that bring us to our knees. 

But Moses told the people, and he tells us that we are not alone. 

God goes before us.  He is with us.  And he’ll never leave or forsake us. 

So be strong. 

Be courageous. 

Don’t be afraid. 

Don’t be discouraged.

When Isaiah foretold the birth of Jesus, he said that the child would be called Immanuel, which means God with us.  (Isaiah 7:14). 

That’s what God wants us to know. 

We are not alone.  We are never alone. 

People may leave us. 

People may fail us. 

But God is with us, and he will always be.

And the years they come
And the years they go
Though we may forget somehow
That the child once born in Bethlehem is still among us now.

Immanuel.  God with us.  — Amy Grant