In Part 1, we considered the promise behind the name Immanuel. Here, we turn to how that promise meets us in the ordinary, strained moments of marriage.
God with Us in Marriage
What Proximity Looks Like
We all know it’s possible to sit beside someone and still feel unreachable. Two people can share a couch and maintain routines, yet something underneath remains untouched. From the outside, everything may appear fine, but the closeness others see often covers the strain that has been growing for months. This tension is part of why the name Immanuel matters so deeply, because it declares that God is not merely near but truly with us.
Many couples drift away from each other not because of shouting but because of quieter wounds: disappointment that never got named, resentment that settled in unnoticed, jealousy that remained unspoken, anger carried from day to day. Over time, they move through familiar patterns without tending to the spiritual life that once drew them together.
This kind of distance can surface even in marriages where faith is shared and commitments are still being honored.
What Presence Looks Like
Presence looks different. It listens when defensiveness feels easier, leans in when emotions urge you to pull away. When the moment turns uncomfortable, presence makes you stay rather than hiding behind a closed door or a screen. When the other person expresses pain, you share in the experience without immediately proposing an explanation or a fix. Wisdom and solutions may come in time.
True presence affirms the marital vow to be with your loved one for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. No immediate solutions or remedies may be available right there and then, but isolation is no longer part of the pain. Someone is carrying this burden with them. This is true biblical intimacy in marriage.
The Difference God’s Nearness Makes
Where does the strength when you want to leave come from when you choose to stay? Why do you remain when you can leave? The urge to take a step back and walk away from the one who’s hurting may be exceptionally strong.
But you remain.
Why?
Short answer: Because God.
Joseph was preparing to break away from Mary. He had his mind made up. He “planned to send her away secretly.” (Matthew 1:19, LSB). He had every reason to create distance. For one, the Law justified it. And another, he was deeply hurt. He was trying to understand how he thought he’d been betrayed by the woman he had chosen to build a life with.
One moment, he was full of hope for their future together. The next, he was facing what looked like scandal and public shame. Trying to contain the damage, he planned to quietly exit the situation.
But God’s message changed everything. The name Immanuel revealed that God was not only faithful to His people, but personally present with Joseph. He was not asking Joseph to endure this moment alone. God’s presence reframed what obedience would now require. The angel’s words made it clear that what was unfolding was not betrayal, but God’s work (Matthew 1:20). Enlightened, Joseph’s troubled mind was steadied. His fear gave way to obedience, not because the situation became easier, but because God would remain with him every step of the way.
God does not always change our circumstances, but He does remain with us within them.
Conclusion
Immanuel is no name for the easy days—the moments when life feels stable or light. It’s a name revealed most sharply when the urge to withdraw is overwhelming and staying present feels like it might cost us everything. God doesn’t just draw near once circumstances improve; He moves toward us precisely when obedience feels heavy and our clarity has run thin.
In the context of marriage, this nearness reshapes the very definition of faithfulness. Staying isn’t just a feat of human resolve, nor is it fueled by a hope that things will get better by morning. It is sustained by a deeper reality: God Himself is standing with us, steadying our hands just as our own strength begins to fail.
God’s presence does not remove the difficulty; it ends the isolation.
God is Immanuel.
He has come to be with us, and He did so at a staggering cost to Himself.
(See Matthew 11:28-30)
This article is part of the ongoing Names of God series, where we explore how God’s revealed names shape faith, marriage, and daily life.