Emmanuel-God with us.

"I am with you."
"I am with you."
"I am with you."
Does saying it more than once, repeating it like a chant, emphasize the power of the meaning of these four words? In language, the more you emphasize a word or phrase, the more meaning is attached to it. These words keep coming back and the more I "hear them" in the depths of my soul, the more I am forced to acknowledge them, stop and consider them, and choose to believe them. But before I can believe them, I have to ask the question, do I even understand what they mean? Do I really comprehend that the Almighty God, the one who, out of his mouth poured furious light, who holds back the oceans with his hand, who measures the universe in the span of his hand, who paints the sky each morning and each evening, this God...YHWH...I am that I am...who was and is and always will be, the Alpha and Omega, the eternal one without beginning or end, this God....is with...me. He is with me. This word with is a relational word. It denotes nearness, among, in the company of (I used my awesome scholastic skills here and looked up the definition.. ;) ). I guess, I'm just now having my eyes opened to the beauty and majesty of what it means!
I mean....GOD! He is near! He is among humanity! His presence is over us, around us; His Spirit moves through us, counsels us, nourishes us, convicts us of our wrongs, supports us, empowers us to speak boldly and with courage. We can actually "feel" his nearness at times and know it in our souls. He holds us up, walks beside us. This relationship with God is real. It's real. It touches every aspect of our lives, not just when we are at church should we draw "near" to the Lord. But when you wake in the morning, reach out to Him to take hold of Him, speak to Him as you would a friend who is next to you, and believe that He speaks back...listen for Him. Just think how much our lives could change if we lived intentionally as if those words were actually true...."I am with You." He knows it's true...do I? Do you? Does the church? I think I'd live my life more passionately if I truly believed it.
So here we go God, you're with me. Let's go. Let's live this life together. Go deep with me. Show me the world that you see. Motivate me. Flood my heart with your love and compassion. Give me one pure and Holy Passion. One magnificent obsession. That I may know and follow hard after you.