"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; "the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)
King Ahaz and the people of God were under the pump. Their neighbors were conspiring to invade Judah and tear it into small pieces for their consumption. At this point though, the Lord offers Ahaz a way out. He is told that the conspirators would see their demise shortly and that he should shift his eyes to God in faith. In fact in this particular case his standing seemed to be intimately connected to his capacity toward faith in God. Ahaz though chose to test God's patience; to which God graciously offered that there would be child born to a virgin; that he would embody the presence of God himself. Ahaz like many before him had failed, he was hard of heart. So God reaffirmed his commitment to establish a king unlike any other in Israel's history. One whose heart would be set on the Lord, one who would stand with his eyes fixed on his heavenly Father, one who triumph over all; including death itself.

Praise be to God for the blessing of Jesus Christ our Savior and our Lord. God has come amongst us in his Son and now the offer for the believing is that the Immanuel will make himself present within you by his Holy Spirit. May our eyes be set, fixed on this Immanuel that has come among us.

Grace and peace to you through Jesus our Lord
From Marcus