Our Christmas trees are up and our house is lit with Christmas lights! I must confess, I love this time of year! I love celebrating the birth of Christ and reflecting on the wonder of the incarnation.
Last week I set aside a couple of days to pull away, be quiet, reflect, and simply savor God’s presence in my life. I wanted to prepare my heart and seek God for wisdom. Often when I am needing wisdom I turn to the book of Isaiah. God speaks to me so personally through the prophet! Isaiah 9 is one of my favorites: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light… For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given… And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:2, 6). Between now and Christmas, I’m going to focus my blog posts on these 4 profound names for Christ.
3 Life-Changing Truths about Jesus as the Wonderful Counselor
Never-Ending Wisdom. Life is filled with unexpected twists and turns and countless decisions. Jesus’ wisdom has no limits and His judgments are always perfect. As the Wonderful Counselor, Jesus is the source of never-ending wisdom. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Oh the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths are beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Who has ever given to God, the God should repay them? For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory, forever!” (Romans 11:33-36).
Friend, you like me, need wisdom. Decisions stretch out before you. Go to Jesus as the Wonderful Counselor. Spend some time meditating on His wisdom. He is working behind the scenes to accomplish what is best for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring your will into alignment with Christ’s and ask Him to reveal to you God’s wisdom in your situation. The Word of God promises that if we lack wisdom and ask, we will be given the wisdom we need. So ask. Praise Jesus for the wisdom He will give.
Listening Ear. A counselor or coach listens and allows the client to process their thoughts. As the Wonderful Counselor, Jesus bends down to listen. He hears and understands every whisper of your heart. Not only does He listen to your every prayer, He intercedes on your behalf before the Father (Romans 8:34).
So often my own thoughts are so tangled. I feel conflicted or ambivalent as I consider choices before me. When that happens I know I need a private session with the Wonderful Counselor. I get on my knees and pour out my heart. Like the Psalmists, I just dump all my tangled feelings before the Lord. He bends down to listen, mends the fractures in my soul, and enables me to move forward on the right path. Like the Psalmist wrote, “I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me” (Psalm 16:7). When we pour out our hearts authentically, Jesus listens and shows us the path forward.
Comforting Presence. When our emotions are a mess or we feel confused, we long for empathy. Our heart’s desire is for someone to crawl into our sorrow with us and offer a comforting presence.That is exactly what Jesus did and continues to do. He left the glory of heaven, crawled into our dirt and mess, and offered His own comforting presence. As the Wonderful Counselor, He continues to offer His presence in the midst of our chaos. Just as in the Old Testament, when God promised Moses that His presence would go with him (Exodus 33:14), so He promises us today that He will never leave us nor forsake us; not when we’re confused, not when we’re doubting, not when we’re lonely, never will He leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
Friend, as we enter this glorious season of Advent, spend a few quiet moments reflecting on Jesus as the Wonderful Counselor. He is the one who is never-ending wisdom, a listening ear, and a comforting presence.
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The Extraordinary Power of Praise
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