O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel
This is a song of longing. The spirit cries out for the Lord’s coming to us… for that which was promised through the Prophet Isaiah… for Emmanuel’s advent. Come, Emmanuel, God with us. Come in, intimately close. Come be with us.
Each verse of the song starts out with those words of beckoning, of yearning, “O come, O come…” How we need Him! What a parched land we are without the water of His presence! What relief the dew and the rain and the rivers of His nearness bring to our thirsty souls!
And thus the chorus exclaims in jubilation, “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel… Shall come to thee, O Israel!” Every time we cry out for Him, He comes. With each verse, we cry out; and with each chorus, He joyfully, eagerly answers. He comes in close. This masterful music depicts to our hearts this promise: “Come close to God, and God will come close to you” (James 4:8, NLT).
You see, He, too, longs for us to call out to Him this way. In fact, He beat us to the punch. He was calling out to us before we even called out to Him: “I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’… All day long I opened my arms…” (Isa. 65:1-2, NLT).
Do you hear those yearning words from His heart to yours? “Here I am, here I am!” Draw close to Him this Advent season. Emmanuel is waiting. He will, He will, He will come close to you.
************************
Is there one special thing about the Christmas season that makes you feel extra close to God? Or something that opens up your awareness to His closeness?
Feeding On Jesus 
That is easily one of my favorite Christmas songs. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s so easy to love, isn’t it!
LikeLike
I love Christmas songs! Usually they start playing it very early, before November bu this year for some reason I have heard less Christmas songs! Now am in the spirit to hear and sing more!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw I’m so very glad, Gladys 😀 ❤ I've been listening to them almost every day 🙂
LikeLike
O Come, O Come Emmanuel…..be near me today & guide my every thought.
Amen
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aaaaamen, come in close Lord Jesus!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Christmas makes me realise the significance of Jesus’s birth and death. O Come, O Come… thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are truly welcome, my friend! Goes wonderfully with your name — Emmanuel is your last name?
LikeLike
No. Middle name but I may change it… LoL.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s wonderful! What would you change it to?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Emmanuel 😆
LikeLike
Haha perfect!
LikeLiked by 1 person
TankQ
LikeLike
😀 You are welcome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I pray more people reach out to God. If they only new how their life can be changed and what eternal life mean. God Bless.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I join you in that prayer, Sandy. May many more find Him during these difficult times, as we realize we are nothing without HIm!
LikeLike
I always start the Christmas season by listening to The Messiah all the way through. It just gets me into the spirit. Then the other Christmas music follows.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really, really like that, Debi Sue. What version of it to you listen to?
LikeLike
There’s a version by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir that I like. It’s on a CD that I’ve had for about 15 years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oooh, yeah, I bet that is so beautiful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
a-men OUR LONGING in ADVENT remembrances is poignantly real in our world of such spiralling issues. COME o Come. Emmanuel. The bride longs for her Heavenly Bridegroom.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! The Spirit and the bride say Come Lord Jesus!
LikeLike