✝️ If God Is With Us, Why Do Men Feel Alone at CHRISTmas?

Good morning, my brothers! Continue your Christmas celebration - or kick it off - by meditating on seven prophetic names of Jesus found in the Old Testament. These names can transform our Christmas and our understanding and knowledge of God. Let’s go!

This week: 5-minute, 9-second read

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God With Us
The Names That Transform Our Christmas Experience

For years, each Christmas, I’ve asked myself why Jesus wasn’t named Immanuel when He was born. I get confused, honestly, when I read the account in Matthew when the angel comes to Joseph as he is wrestling with what to do about Mary’s pregnancy:

Finally, after church this past Sunday, I admitted my confusion to my wife and asked if she could help me understand. And she did, immediately. (Why, you ask, didn’t I ask her when the question started to bug me? Prideful me, again, a topic for a future article, maybe?)

Anyway, as she unpacked it as we were driving, it became clearer.

He is to be called Immanuel, God with us, A title. It defines part of Who He is, a glimpse of an aspect of His identity.

He is to be named Jesus, The Lord saves, describes His mission on earth, the reason He came.

Identity (Immanuel) vs. Mission (Jesus). God always with us and our Savior restoring us into right relationship with God.

As I’ve pondered this over the last week, it also got me to thinking about other prophetic names of Jesus found in the Old Testament.

Long before Bethlehem, God spoke clearly about who Jesus is. Not just that a Savior was coming, but what kind of Savior He is. The Old Testament gives us prophetic names for Jesus that reveal a partial glimpse into His character. When we slow down and meditate on these names, let us pray that this Christmas becomes transformational for us this year.

Let’s look together at seven of them.

Immanuel, God With Us - Isaiah 7:14

God did not promise a Savior who would stay distant. He promised Immanuel, God with us.

This matters deeply for us as men. Many of us are carrying burdens quietly this season. Financial stress. Leadership pressure. Regret over the year behind us - anxiety about what lies ahead.

Immanuel reminds us that God does not wait for us to get our act together. He has stepped into the mess with us.

Christmas is not about pretending everything is fine. It is about trusting that God is present right where we are, regardless of how tough it might be.

Wonderful Counselor- Isaiah 9:6

Jesus was promised as a Counselor whose wisdom would surpass human understanding.

As the year comes to a close, decisions often weigh heavily on us. Career moves. Family leadership. Spiritual direction. Too often, we default to our own instincts or avoid slowing down long enough to listen.

Christmas invites us to pause and seek counsel from Christ Himself. Not through noise or distraction, but through stillness, prayer, and reflection.

Real men seek wise, biblical counsel. Mature men submit their plans to God before they act.

Mighty God - Isaiah 9:6

The Messiah was not only gentle. He was mighty.

Jesus entered the world as a baby, but He came to defeat sin, shame, fear, and death itself. The manger points directly to the cross and the empty tomb.

Christmas challenges our definition of strength. Biblical strength is not self-sufficiency. It is dependence on the One who fights battles we cannot win on our own.

If you are exhausted from carrying everything yourself, Christmas is an invitation to lay your strength down and trust His.

Prince of Peace - Isaiah 9:6

Peace was never promised through perfect circumstances. It was promised through a Person.

We chase peace through our circumstances, success, control, rest, or approval. Yet none of it lasts. Jesus offers peace that settles the soul even when life remains uncertain.

This Christmas, peace is not something you manufacture. It is something you receive when you surrender.

Peace does not mean the absence of chaos. It means Christ is present in the middle of it.

The Branch - Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5

God promised a Branch that would grow from what appeared dead.

Some men enter Christmas feeling like parts of their lives are beyond repair. A failed season. A broken habit. A past that seemingly disqualifies them from being worthy of the Lord.

The Branch reminds us that God specializes in bringing life to what seemingly is unredeemable.

Your worst chapter does not get the final word. God does.

The Shepherd - Ezekiel 34:23

God promised a Shepherd who would personally care for His people.

The first men invited to see Jesus were shepherds. Ordinary, disregarded, faithful men, doing unseen work. That is not an accident.

Jesus still shepherds men who feel unworthy, overwhelmed, or unsure. You do not need to be prominent in the world’s eyes to be led well. You simply need to be willing to follow.

The Lamb of God - Isaiah 53; Exodus 12

The Messiah would come as a suffering servant.

The manger leads to the cross. Christmas is not soft. It is costly love. Jesus came to take the weight of sin we could never carry ourselves.

When we understand the Lamb, grace stops being cheap and obedience becomes a response of gratitude.

Our MTM Christmas Challenge

This Christmas season, do not rush past what God wants to show you.

For the next seven mornings, choose one prophetic name of Jesus and sit quietly with it. Read the Scripture verses below. Pray slowly. Ask God what He wants you to understand about who He is and where you need Him most.

Do not multitask. Do not rush. Just be present.

Ask yourself:

Where do I need Immanuel instead of loneliness and fear?

• Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

• Deuteronomy 31:6 – The Lord goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.

• Matthew 28:20 – “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

What decision needs the Wonderful Counselor?

• Proverbs 3:5–6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart; He will make your paths straight.

• James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, ask God, who gives generously.

• Psalm 32:8 – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.”

Where am I relying on my strength instead of the Mighty God?

• Zechariah 4:6 – “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord.

• Isaiah 40:29–31 – He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

• 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 – God’s power is made perfect in weakness.

What anxiety needs the Prince of Peace?

• Philippians 4:6–7 – God’s peace guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

• John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.”

• Isaiah 26:3 – You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast on You.

Where do I need to trust God to grow a Branch from what feels dead?

• Job 14:7–9 – There is hope for a tree; if cut down, it will sprout again.

• Ezekiel 37:5–6 – God brings life to dry bones.

• Romans 4:17 – God gives life to the dead and calls into being things that are not.

What part of my life needs the Shepherd’s leadership?

• Psalm 23:1–3 – The Lord is my shepherd; He restores my soul.

• John 10:14–15 – “I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep.”

• 1 Peter 5:2–4 – Christ is the Chief Shepherd who watches over our souls.

How should gratitude and obedience flow from the Lamb’s sacrifice?

• Isaiah 53:5–6 – He was pierced for our transgressions; the Lord laid on Him our iniquity.

• 1 Peter 1:18–19 – You were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, a spotless Lamb.

• Romans 12:1 – Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice in response to God’s mercy.

-Will

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