Abiding in Emmanuel Part 2

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Emmanuel, Emmanuel
His name is called Emmanuel
God with us, revealed in us
His name is called Emmanuel  

Bob McGee's lovely praise song often resonates in my spirit. The words “God with us, revealed in us” especially capture my heart and remind me of Paul’s words in Acts 17:28: “. . . for in Him we live and move and have our being.”  

Emmanuel means that we are perfectly positioned.

Considering the truth that we live, move and have our being in Him, let’s reflect on some of the comforting words in Psalm 91:1: “Psalm  91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty.” 

When we are in God’s will, the revelation that our whole being exists in Him awakens us to the understanding that we are perfectly positioned in “the secret place of the Most High.”

Psalm 91:4: “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall trust. His truth shall be your shield, and buckler.” 

Emmanuel means that He has placed us “under His wings.” When we are walking in obedience, we do not need to run to His protection; we are already there.  The tallit is a symbol of abiding in Emmanuel.  When one is under the tallit (the prayer shawl), one is separated unto God and away from the world.

The tallit fringes symbolize the 613 guidelines (commandments) for conscious living through a Jewish lens that are found in the Torah.

As the Torah says: "You will see them [the fringes] and remember all God's mitzvot (guidelines) and do them" Numbers 15:39

Because of our position in Him, we can rest; we can cease from struggling. We can say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust. Surely, He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence” (Psalm 91:2-3, NKJV).

The power and authority of Emmanuel is released when we make the decision to abide in Him. To abide is more than just “to live”; it is “to accept” or “to act in accordance with.”  When we abide in the Lord, we accept Him and act in accordance with Him. We live our lives in harmony with Him because we know that the path He has chosen for us is the best path. Cherish the admonition that, “Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling” (Psalm 91:9-10, NKJV).

The hope of Emmanuel is revealed in God’s promises to us:

Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation. - Psalm 91:14-16 (NKJV)

Hope is available now.

I love the old hymn:

“O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”

The Latin text was first documented in Germany in 1710; however, the tune most familiar in the English-speaking world originated in 15th-century France. Most versions end with the yearning, hopeful cry: “Rejoice. Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”

However, as Bible believing, born again follower of Jesus, on the final chorus, we sing, “Rejoice.  Rejoice. Emmanuel has come to thee, O Israel.”

Sadly, when we do not know the power, authority and protection afforded us in Emmanuel, we cry out for that time in eternity when the trials of this life will be over. That is a form of godliness that denies the power of Him in whom we live and move and have our being (2 Timothy 3:5). “Having a form of godliness but denying the power of it; even turn away from these.” 

As I rest in Emmanuel, fear and doubt flee. As I rest in Emmanuel, faith and truth become steadfast. Emmanuel is manifested when we, like Paul, declare:

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. - Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

Emmanuel—God is with us. Oh, that He may be revealed in us.

Collisions 1:26-27:  “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. For to His saints, God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Habakkuk 3:17-19: “Though the fig tree shall not blossom, and fruit is not on the vines; the labor of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food. The flock is cut off from the fold, and no herd is in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in Jehovah, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Jehovah the Lord is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk on my high places.”

Emmanuel—God is with us. Oh, that He may be revealed in us.