14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Several years ago we were on a mission trip to Brazil. We were working in a slum area of a large city offering free medical care and sharing the message of Christ. We had prayed that God would bring the people who needed to hear. A young woman came in who was pregnant with an unwanted pregnancy. She knew to have the child would be to invite ridicule on her family because the child’s father was not her husband. The woman just “Happened” to walk by the clinic that day and felt a pulling to go in and have a test done to confirm the pregnancy. Her care givers shared the gospel message with the young woman and though at first her heart wasn’t open, God worked on her. Our team prayed for her for several days that she would not only be saved which she was eventually, but also that she would have a change of heart about giving life to her child because she had made up her mind abortion was her best option. We returned to the states at the end of the week not knowing the fate of the baby, but trusting God was changing the mother’s heart.
A year later we returned to the same church for another medical clinic. Just being in the same community was an act of God because it is not the practice of the mission team planners to go to the same community two years in a row. We unloaded the bus and prepared our instruments and equipment. One of the first people in line was the young mother holding her baby girl. We all wept to see God’s hand of protection over the child and the radiant mother who was walking in the faith. She passed the beautiful big baby girl around and said, I knew you would come back. I knew God had said you would so you could see Emmanuella. Little did that sweet mother know that she had named that child a name that meant, God with Us. God had been with that young mother. He had saved her spiritually but also given her hope and joy. Baby Emmanuella was a beautiful reminder to all of us as well that God hears our prayers and walks with us.
Jesus came not as a good man who did good things for people. He came as God with us. He told the disciples if you have seen me you have seen the Father. He was a physical embodiment of God’s presence among His people. A great gift at Christmas is to remember that God did not choose to be far away from us and rule over us with un-attachment. He came to live among us and to love us. What a wonderful gift! Please pray for many young ladies today who are deciding whether to give their children life. Pray they will be touched by the message of Christ and give life to their children.

Shared by Jan DeKlavon: “This song has always touched me for many years, but after reading your testimony,  this makes it even more moving! ”