The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23
Jesus, our Immanuel, is our very own God to love and
cherish. Immanuel knows us, listens for our voice, hears our prayers, revels in
our praises. He is always with us – in the uncomplicated days of youth and in
the trenches when life gets tough. Wherever we are, He is there. If we could
soar to the moon, as James Irwin did, Emmanuel would be there with us.
“I felt the power of God as I’d never felt it before,” Irwin said of his Apollo 15 mission in July 1971. From his vantage point on the moon earth appeared the size of a thumbnail. It reminded him of a fragile Christmas ornament hanging in space. “It was touching to see the earth from this perspective,” he said. Irwin felt God so near He looked over his shoulder expecting to see Him.
Prior to his moon mission Irwin was a self-described “bump on a log Christian.” Afterwards, he formed The High Flight Foundation and devoted his life to sharing the love of Jesus
On the moon Irwin felt inspired to quote from Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.”
Soar to the
heavens. Immanuel is there. Sink to the depths. He is there (Psa. 139:8). Immanuel, God with us, fills the soul with wonder and takes the fear out of
living.
No power can wield
any strength against me when He is with me (Rom. 8:31).
Before lifting off the earth to return to His rightful place at God’s right hand, Immanuel spoke these unforgettable words:
“I am with you always, to the very end” (Matt. 28:20).
Prayer: Today, my
Lord, I take time to consider that You are with me, always and forever. I’m
never alone.
***
Rose McCormick Brandon lives in Caledonia, Ontario with husband Doug. An award-winning personal experience and inspirational writer, Rose contributes to denominational publications and devotionals. She writes and teaches Bible Studies, authors biblical essays and is the author of the Canadian history book, Promises of Home – Stories of Canada’s British Home Children. Her book, One Good Word Makes all the Difference, contains stories of her personal journey from prodigal to passionate follower of Jesus. She is the mother of three adult children and grandmother of four.
2 comments:
Short, pithy and to point! Such a contrast to my often wordy comments (wry smile)! Thanks Rose for sharing the inspiring testimony of James Irwin. Immanuel is a name I came to love and appreciate as a young boy, and its sound and meaning bless me increasingly as time goes by. ~~+~~
This brings back memories. I met James Irwin in the late 70's or early 80's in Edmonton. He had written a book about his experience, and I have an autographed copy of the photo in your post.
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