Over the next year, soulwithaview is focusing on one main theme, “God with us.” The theme starts on the 4th of January and will carry us through the whole of 2021. If you’d like to purchase a “God with us” jar then that’s great, but if not, grab a notebook and Bible and follow along with the weekly blogs.
It was back in August, while facing a very difficult situation, that I was led to this Scripture verse:
23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”
(which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:23 NIV
These words are usually reserved for Christmas cards or nativity scenes, not the heat of summer, but they wouldn't leave me.
I'd heard them so many times before but kept thinking, what does “God with us” really mean?
What does it look like on a daily basis?
There are lots of verses like this, familiar, comfortable. I talk a lot about looking at Scripture with fresh eyes and I'm in that place again. I may get to the end of 2021, shrug my shoulders and say, “yep, "God with us" means exactly what I thought it meant,” but my gut tells me there’s more to discover.
God is with us, we just don’t always spot it. I confess that I don't take enough time to stop and notice God’s handiwork in my life. For those of you who read the Saint Ignatius blogs earlier this year, then you’ll spot where this spiritual seed was planted. Taking time every day to notice “God with us” draws us closer to Him and makes His presence tangible. That’s where the idea for the jar came from. With my family, I’ll be jotting down each time I notice God’s presence and if the jar isn’t full by the end of the year, it won't be because God didn't show up. If the jar isn't full, it will be because I stopped noticing. Whether it’s using a “God with us” jar, a notebook, a smartphone, or any way of keeping track of those special God moments, I'd love you to join me.
Alongside our ‘noticing’ we’ll be digging into God’s word. I’ve no idea what we will discover as we travel through the year but at the moment the prospect of writing fifty-two blogs around the same theme seems a little daunting. Each week I’ll dig into a different Bible verse linked to the theme, share my thoughts, maybe a song, and a couple of questions to think about. I’ll be sharing what I discover and hope you will comment and share too.
Christmas is a promise from our Heavenly Father that through the gift of His precious son, He is with us. My prayer is that by the end of 2021, we will all have a deeper understanding of what that means.
Our Deliverer
You are Saviour
In Your presence, we find our strength
Over everything
Our redemption
God with us
You are God with us
All Sons and Daughters
Kay Moorby
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