Session 11

God Answers Our Cry for Help

From Join the Chorus!

“And they will name him Immanuel, which is translated ‘God is with us.’” - Matthew 1:23

We have all been in a desperate moment. Perhaps you’ve experienced a job loss, a marital issue, or a difficult parenting situation. Maybe it’s a scary diagnosis or even the death of a loved one. Each of us experience times when we felt distant and hopeless. When those moments arrive, when we do not know what to do, we cry out to God and say, “Please, Jesus, come help us.” 

Israel knew this kind of desperation, but they looked forward in hope, remembering God’s promise through the prophet Isaiah: “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” God’s people didn’t know when this promise would be fulfilled, but they believed the prophecy — and it was fulfilled when they most needed help. We read these words in the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew: “Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated ‘God is with us.’” 

The cry for help was answered. God fulfilled his promise through Jesus Christ, his only Son. And through His Spirit, God is still with us. God has always been with His people. For those of us in Christ, even in our most desperate moments, we can join the chorus of God’s people singing, rejoice, rejoice, Immanuel has come. God is with us!