“Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!””
Haggai 1:13 NLT
The Christ shall be called “Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.” This message permeates human history because it has been installed into it by God. Therefore, it is no surprise that God gives this message to the people only one month after giving it last. People are finite creatures with limited memory. They are meant to be dependent and fed by God’s input. This is what Jesus notes when the devil tempts him to think about his hunger, rather than his God’s will. “Man does not live on bread alone, but instead upon the very word of God.” This is the word of God that we are to live on. Despite our current circumstances and psycho-physical inputs, God is with us and for us. He wants what is best. He gives judges our wrong doings, bolsters our inadequacies, and loves us as his creation. Knowing this truth is seminal to knowing the other truths encompassed in our faith and doctrines. We must first believe that he is, before we believe that he can, and therefore that we can. Those who remember this truth will always be successful human beings, despite their situations and life’s persecutions.
