Winter Fire – Wonderful Counselor - Tuesday
Today’s Verse
Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (NIV)
Jesus's birth and the magnitude of His life are outlined in the verse above. Jesus is the child born, the son given who became the Savior of the world. He is the foundation for all true life with divine guiding ability, the Wonderful Counselor. Historically, counselors guided a king as part of what we would describe today as their cabinet. They offered wise counsel to the king as he governed and led his nation. In Jesus, we have a Wonderful Counselor who is beyond comparison. This promise was made by the prophet Isaiah to a people that were rebelling against God. In Isaiah 1:2, he says, “Hear O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: ‘I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.”
I’ve found it interesting that in Christian circles people are interested in a “word of prophecy” or hearing from someone “in the prophetic.” In the Bible, when prophets showed up, it was because there was a BIG problem. Open rebellion against God and hardness of heart brought severe and dire warnings carried out by God’s prophets. The last thing I want is a prophet showing up in my life because that would be terrifying. It would mean I’m living in open sin and rebellion and need to be strongly confronted. As Isaiah sternly confronts this rebellious nation, he weaves in a message of hope and restoration. He foresaw a day when things will be right again despite the fact they’ve gone very wrong. God gives Isaiah the ability to foresee a coming savior, and we know that this savior’s name is Jesus.
Today, let’s examine our hearts. Are there places of open or lingering rebellion? Are we holding on to old sin habits, being led down a road of temptation, and our self-discipline is waning, or are we stuck in a sin we’ve been unable to shake and need to confront and confess?
REFLECTION
Take a few moments to examine your heart. Ask God to reveal what He wants you to become aware of.
