Religion & Spirituality
Names carry meaning and reveal the mission of the child. Isaiah’s son is named Shear-jashab, meaning ‘a remnant will return’, conveying Israel's hope for its future. So too, does the promise of Immanuel convey hope for us as God's people. In times of crisis, we see a strong connection between faith and courage. Fear sucks as out, but faith can keep us firm in the chaos. Strength and safety is not merely found in the nature of our faith, rather it is found in the object of our faith. We ought to trust God in a way that is authentic and not just as external signal to an audience on the other side of the screen. Let us not test God, as Ahaz did, but have an authentic faith that will not weary ourselves or our Lord. God was with Israel in Isaiah's time, demonstrating his power through the destruction of Damascus and Samaria as prophesied, and God is with us now through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, God did all that was necessary to ensure that we could be with him and he with us - in a...