Verse of the Day - Isaiah 7:14

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). ~ Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)

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Although today, with modern medical technology, it is possible for a virgin to conceive a child through invitro fertilization, this prophecy would've been astounding to the ancient world. No woman gets pregnant without having sexual relations with a man. Never. That's the way God ordained procreation in the Garden of Eden, and that is just the way it is. A virgin will give birth? C'mon -- get real! Yet, when God needs to get a point across, He does the unreal. When God needs to make sure you understand that it is He who is involved, He does the impossible. That's called a miracle.

And please don't forget that these words that Isaiah the prophet spoke to King Ahaz came over 600 years before the events recorded in the New Testament. 600 years! Couple that prophecy with others proclaimed about this miracle, such as the where (Bethlehem) and how (manger) He'd be born, and you have the incalculable and uncontrivable by human will. This was God's doing and none other!

Son of the Living God. Immanuel. The virgin birth, declared centuries before, is a sign. King Ahaz was long gone in the grave when Jesus was born, but the Scripture lives on to validate the truth. The sign is for those who were there...Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and townspeople, the wise men...and for all those down the ages who have read the Scriptures, up through this very day.

Jesus' birth is a sign of divine intervention in our lives. He is Immanuel -- God is with us, today and forever. Have you believed the sign? Is He the divine Christ child in your heart and mind? I pray that truth is secure within you as you look forward to celebrating Christmas this year.

Love,
Joelene