Of all the names of Jesus, Immanuel may be the most tender — and the most personal. It is not a name about His power, or His position, or His perfection. It is a name about His presence.
"Look up the meaning of name." Those were the words I heard the Lord speak to my heart, and they began a journey I'm still on. When you start to trace the names of Jesus, you find that each one is a doorway — a way in to some part of His character He wants you to know by experience, not just by information.
A name that means "with us"
Immanuel means "God with us." Not God above us, watching from a distance. Not God ahead of us, waiting for us to catch up. God with us — near, present, attentive, here.
There is so much more to life with Jesus than going to church, reading the Bible, and doing good things.
When we know Jesus as Immanuel, our ordinary days change. The commute, the kitchen, the hard conversation, the quiet evening — He is in all of it. Knowing His name is not a theology exam; it is an invitation to live every moment with Him.
Make it personal
So here is the question this whole book — and this whole journey — keeps asking: Who is Jesus to you? Not to your pastor, or your parents, or the author of a book. To you. Today, let Immanuel be more than a Christmas word. Let it be the name you whisper as you walk through your day.
— Jeni