Wednesday, December 27, 2023 Some material taken from Behold Him; Behold the Savior
Wonderful Counselor
In Isaiah chapter 9, the prophet Isaiah told of the coming Messiah. During this time, God’s people were in serious rebellion, so Isaiah delivered both good news of hope and bad news of the devastation they were sure to invoke upon themselves. Part of the good news was that message of hope of a coming Messiah who would save them. In this message Isaiah told them that this coming King would be a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor. A counselor is someone who gives us guidance, mostly when we are having trouble with clarity and discernment in our own lives. Counselors are someone who we can trust with the messes in our lives. We can be honest with them, and they will give us honest and true advice, of which we may be having great difficulty figuring out. They tell us the truth that we may not want to hear, but it is what is best for us. They help us know how to “deal with” or handle the circumstances we may find ourselves in. They help us figure out what the next step is. They care about us.
Jesus is always with us – especially in our darkest times. He is our counselor in a legal sense and in a practical sense.
Legally He is our advocate who stands before our Heavenly Father in our defense. We are all sinners and guilty before God, but because Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, He goes before God and declares us justified and innocent. His sacrifice on the cross makes it possible for us to have a relationship with Holy God. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2
Practically He gives us direction, discernment, and guidance when we cannot see clearly. He knows the path and He will lead us when we surrender and seek His direction and guidance. We can trust that He is listening when we call on Him and that He always knows what we are going through.
Jesus is qualified far beyond even the very best counselor on earth. There is great value in the work of counseling but let us always remember to go to Jesus first. He loves us beyond all comprehension. He always has our very best interest at heart and will never lead us astray.
Jesus is our Mighty God. Jesus has always been. As a part of the trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, He displayed His power in creating the world He would one day enter as a baby. While He lived here on earth, He demonstrated His power as Mighty God many times over nature, diseases, demons, and most importantly for us – over sin and death.
For us, He is our power. We have the same power that defeated sin, death, and the grave available to us in our lives today. We have the power of the Holy Spirit who Jesus sent to be our advocate. One of His roles as Holy Spirit is to be our comforter and what is more comforting than knowing that we have a mighty God who is our strength when we are not strong, who has conquered sin, death, and the grave, and who has provided a way and a place for us in eternity. There is nothing we could do in our own power to secure eternity for ourselves.
Jesus, our Messiah, our King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our Wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God. He rose from the dead and sits on the throne at the right had of God. He is above all power, authority, and dominion, and by Him we will be judged. He will reign forever, and every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.
They said with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing! Revelation 5:12
