"Wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the eternal Father, the Prince of Peace."
Which of these names speaks to you the loudest regarding our Savior and Lord? Has He been a "Wonderful Counselor" to you? Do you think of Jesus as "the mighty God"? Do you see Him as "the eternal Father"? Is He your "Prince of Peace"?
It occurred to me when reading this verse tonight how the descriptions given are another testimony to the Holy Trinity. Most often we think of the Holy Spirit as the Counselor that Jesus promised to us. We tend to think of God the Father as the mighty power, and Jesus as our Prince of Peace. But Isaiah, in his inspired wisdom, proclaims all of these attributes on the child to be born. Jesus came as the Son of God, but in the mystery of the trinity, He proclaimed all the aspects of God. At His baptism, all three personalities of God were evidenced. Jesus brought God to us...ALL of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Without the birth of the child in the manger, God in His entirety could never have been truly known by humanity. Jesus brought God to the world, to be known by all nations.
When those who do not accept Jesus' divinity proclaim Him as a good man, an inspired teacher, a great prophet, they are missing what Isaiah saw many centuries before...this child, this son given to the world, would bring God to us...just as Isaiah had named Him in a couple of chapters before, "And a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Immanuel."
Wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the eternal Father, the Prince of Peace....Immanuel...God with us.
God --- all of God, Father, Son and Spirit --- with us. Praises!
Just as I finished, the loudest clap of thunder exploded in our back yard and I was reminded of the power of God revealed through nature. My mind went to those in Oklahoma who have suffered through this week in the aftermath of tornadoes in Shawnee and Moore, as well as those in Granbury, Texas, who are still recovering from their tornado of a couple weeks ago. Why, we ask? Why did God allow nature, over which He obviously has control, destroy homes and take lives? Jesus calmed the storm when His disciples were frightened, why didn't He do the same for those facing such fear last week? "And," we say, "especially those sweet little children!"
Do I have that answer? Nope. All I know is that some storms are calmed, and some are not. God is the decider. And each of us have to decide if He is trustworthy to place our lives into His sovereign hands. If so, we enter into a covenant of trust with Him, knowing that He truly is working all things together for good in our lives. (Romans 8:28) Even when we don't get immediate answers, even when life doesn't make sense to us, we can trust. And we can know that one day, we will see clearly. (1 Corinthians 13:12)
Which of these names speaks to you the loudest regarding our Savior and Lord? Has He been a "Wonderful Counselor" to you? Do you think of Jesus as "the mighty God"? Do you see Him as "the eternal Father"? Is He your "Prince of Peace"?
It occurred to me when reading this verse tonight how the descriptions given are another testimony to the Holy Trinity. Most often we think of the Holy Spirit as the Counselor that Jesus promised to us. We tend to think of God the Father as the mighty power, and Jesus as our Prince of Peace. But Isaiah, in his inspired wisdom, proclaims all of these attributes on the child to be born. Jesus came as the Son of God, but in the mystery of the trinity, He proclaimed all the aspects of God. At His baptism, all three personalities of God were evidenced. Jesus brought God to us...ALL of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Without the birth of the child in the manger, God in His entirety could never have been truly known by humanity. Jesus brought God to the world, to be known by all nations.
When those who do not accept Jesus' divinity proclaim Him as a good man, an inspired teacher, a great prophet, they are missing what Isaiah saw many centuries before...this child, this son given to the world, would bring God to us...just as Isaiah had named Him in a couple of chapters before, "And a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Immanuel."
Wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the eternal Father, the Prince of Peace....Immanuel...God with us.
God --- all of God, Father, Son and Spirit --- with us. Praises!
Just as I finished, the loudest clap of thunder exploded in our back yard and I was reminded of the power of God revealed through nature. My mind went to those in Oklahoma who have suffered through this week in the aftermath of tornadoes in Shawnee and Moore, as well as those in Granbury, Texas, who are still recovering from their tornado of a couple weeks ago. Why, we ask? Why did God allow nature, over which He obviously has control, destroy homes and take lives? Jesus calmed the storm when His disciples were frightened, why didn't He do the same for those facing such fear last week? "And," we say, "especially those sweet little children!"
Do I have that answer? Nope. All I know is that some storms are calmed, and some are not. God is the decider. And each of us have to decide if He is trustworthy to place our lives into His sovereign hands. If so, we enter into a covenant of trust with Him, knowing that He truly is working all things together for good in our lives. (Romans 8:28) Even when we don't get immediate answers, even when life doesn't make sense to us, we can trust. And we can know that one day, we will see clearly. (1 Corinthians 13:12)
