Author: Kristen Kansiewicz, LMHC

Zephaniah 3:17

For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With his love, he will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

The world has had gods in every culture since the beginning of time. Most are familiar with the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian gods from grade school lessons. Generally, all of these gods spent their time fighting each other and generally avoiding humanity (or occasionally trying to have sex with humans). The sacred and the secular are often seen as needing to be very separate, and in our society we see this when we squirm at the idea of swearing in a church. However, today’s verse says that the God of the Bible is living among us. Not only that, he loves us and wants to calm our fears. He’s even singing songs over us.

Here’s your freedom for today: God delights in you.

God is not a distant deity, far from humanity that he has abandoned to our own ways. He is here, with us, delighting in us and calming us. He is singing sweet lullabies over you today. The Bible frequently calls us God’s children, and I imagine a tender parent holding a small child, singing and soothing in ways all of us have done. If we can show care for children, how much more can God nurture us? Not only that, but he delights to do it. He is thrilled to be your Father.

Micah 2:12-13

Someday, O Israel, I will gather you;
    I will gather the remnant who are left.
I will bring you together again like sheep in a pen,
    like a flock in its pasture.
Yes, your land will again
    be filled with noisy crowds!
Your leader will break out
    and lead you out of exile,
out through the gates of the enemy cities,
    back to your own land.
Your king will lead you;
    the Lord himself will guide you.

This prophecy from Micah was written about 700 years before Jesus’ birth. God always has the long-term goal in mind, and throughout the Old Testament we see how he was preparing and planning for Jesus to come rescue the world long before the time was right to send him. We are in a similar place now, waiting for the return of Jesus to earth that was prophesied in the New Testament. We visit this passage in our Immanuel series because God’s heart is so clear — he will make a way to be with his people. He will not abandon them in exile.

Here’s your freedom for today: God wants to lead you.

The final verse in today’s passage has such a soft tone to it: “Your king will lead you; the Lord himself will guide you.” Jesus is not just a king, he is your king. God does not shout directions from afar, but instead becomes a personal guide for you. The Holy Spirit is given to us when we follow Jesus, and he prompts us and leads us to follow God’s ways. God is interested in you, and all seven billion people on our planet. He is not limited in relational capacity, so all who come to him are welcome. He is Immanuel, God with us and ready to lead your life.

Hosea 11:1-4. 8-9

When Israel was a child, I loved him,
    and I called my son out of Egypt.
But the more I called to him,
    the farther he moved from me,
offering sacrifices to the images of Baal
    and burning incense to idols.
 I myself taught Israel how to walk,
    leading him along by the hand.
But he doesn’t know or even care
    that it was I who took care of him.
 I led Israel along
    with my ropes of kindness and love.
I lifted the yoke from his neck,
    and I myself stooped to feed him.

Oh, how can I give you up, Israel?
    How can I let you go?
How can I destroy you like Admah
    or demolish you like Zeboiim?
My heart is torn within me,
    and my compassion overflows.
⁹No, I will not unleash my fierce anger.
    I will not completely destroy Israel,
for I am God and not a mere mortal.
    I am the Holy One living among you,
    and I will not come to destroy.

Here in Hosea we get a glimpse of God’s heart for his people. Many people think of God as angry and vengeful, but these verses show us that he has mercy even when we deserve destruction. He describes watching Israel “grow up” like a child. He asks himself the rhetorical question, “How can I let you go?” It is the struggle of any parent whose child has gone astray. Love and compassion go hand in hand. This passage ends with God making the decision not to destroy them because he is Immanuel — he is the Holy One living among his people.

Here’s your freedom for today: God will never give up on you.

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s people are the Israelites. When Jesus came, he helped the world see that being born Jewish doesn’t automatically make you right with God. Instead, God’s people are those that listen for his voice and acknowledge Jesus as the Savior of the world. God’s heart is for his people, and he desires for all of us to grow and move forward. His mercy keeps showing up, and in your life it means that no matter what God won’t give up on you. What is one thing you can ask him to help you with this year?

Daniel 3:19-26

Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.

But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.

“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god^[a!”

Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire.

If you have not read the book of Daniel, I highly recommend it. It is full of fascinating prophecy and stories that you have to remind yourself are not just cute children’s tales. The Bible claims to be true, yet its stories require faith and belief in the supernatural because they are anything but ordinary. In today’s example of Immanuel, God shows up in a miraculous way to three men who refused to bow to a false god. Nebuchadnezzar is the king enforcing this false god worship. When they receive the death penalty, a “fourth man” is seen in the furnace with them. If you keep reading, you learn that the three men are completely unharmed from their time in the flames and they do not even smell like smoke.

Here’s your freedom for today: God is with us as a protector.

We do not know from the story if that mysterious fourth man is an angel or a physical manifestation of God himself. However, we do know that God protected Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from death as a direct result of their obedience and faithfulness to him. We can’t fully understand why God protects in some cases and not others — plenty of obedient followers of Jesus have been martyred, a sign of honor and not defeat. God doesn’t always step in to save our earthly lives, even when we are faithful. However, he is with us as a protector because even in death he has made a direct path to life that Satan cannot disrupt. Just as the three men in our story said, “Even if he doesn’t save us” in an earthly way, we will remain obedient and faithful (Daniel 3:17-18).

2 Samuel 5:10

And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies was with him.

Perhaps you have heard of King David. Most famous for standing up to a giant when he wasn’t even old enough to be in the army. Long after the desert wanderings of Exodus, King David becomes ruler over God’s people (known as the nation of Israel). Today’s verse captures a theme that is evident throughout the Bible: there is power when God is Immanuel. Because God — called the Lord of Heaven’s Armies many times in the Old Testament — was with David, he became more and more powerful. The same is true today when the Holy Spirit dwells within us.

Here’s your freedom for today: God is your source of strength and power.

In America today, there are a whole lot of things that promise you strength and power. Drinks that will energize you. Shoes that will give you an extra spring in your step. Wonder drugs and products that promise impressive abs with no work. It’s all worthless — either because it is offering something impossible or in some cases because the power it gives you has no supernatural value. What kind of power would genuinely help you in your life? What kind of power would transform you as a person? It’s the power of Immanuel, but you won’t find it in commercials because it’s not for sale. This kind of power is no gimmick, and in fact it is so real that many are afraid of giving themselves over to it. What would you be willing to give for a power great enough to save your soul? Invite Immanuel to be your power this year and ask him what you can do to make room for his power in your life.