“So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
MATTHEW 1:22-23 NKJV
Isaiah. The same prophet who prophesied “the virgin shall be with child” also said the word that goes forth from the Lord’s mouth will not return to Him empty. It will do exactly what He sends it to do (Isaiah 55:11).
After 700 years, the virgin part of the prophesy was like the fine print every Jew forgot to read, much less remember. And Joseph is the one reminded of it.
It’s funny how we need confirmation of God’s revelation of Jesus to continue in it (see Day 4). But God never needs confirmation of His word to carry it out. The lessor is indeed blessed by the greater (Hebrews 7:7).
And what a way the Lord blessed—with His manifest presence.
With us—Immanuel comes not to cancel us like culture does when we fail, nor to coerce us into receiving Him as Lord, but to connect with us as those He dearly loves.
To know what it’s like to live bodily in this broken world and later overcome the brokenness of humanity that caused it.
So yeah, the inconvenience of the delivery method is undeniable—enduring shaming side eyes from everyone else who didn’t read the fine print either.
But the invaluable gift of a knowing God drawing near in gentleness and love is—unmatched.
When the revelation of Jesus is for Him to draw near, does the method even matter? It’s sobering to consider, but the answer is He’s more than worth it.
Vanessa A. Harris 