According to the dictionary one definition of name is: “A combination of words by which a person, place, thing, body or class, object of thought is designated, called or known”. There is power in the combination of words that designate a person, place or thing. Our given names at birth have more power than we know. I think it is important for parents to know the meaning of the name they are giving their child. “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.” Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is better than precious perfume.” Ecclesiastes 7:1 Names in the ancient world carried more significance than they do in these modern times. Names would distinguish the nature and character of a person. This is particularly true regarding the many Names of God and Jesus that are recorded in the Scriptures. To know His Name is to enjoy Him in a very intimate way. When His Names were revealed to mankind He was making Himself accessible and vulnerable. When the Bible says to not take God’s Name in vain – it isn’t talking about swearing and cussing. When you don’t believe Who He is by the character of His Name – you are taking His Name in vain. The names of Jesus reveal His true nature to us.
Isaiah says, “His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor.” I read this description of Wonderful Counselor in a devotion by James MacDonald: “He’s not the angry counselor, the gruff counselor, or the disconnected counselor. He understands what we’re going through and can advise us while He accompanies us through whatever we are facing. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). You may be surprised to discover the Hebrew word for wonderful is “pela” which actually means wonder or miracle. So the “wonderful” in Wonderful Counselor doesn’t just mean delightful and pleasing but also miraculous. He is a miracle-working Counselor who does what no one else can do for you. The title Counselor means the wisdom of Jesus Christ applied to your life is like nothing else. It’s supernaturally insightful. You can’t get it from any other source. You cannot afford to be making decisions without a guiding word from the Miraculous Counselor. And you can’t call Him Wonderful Counselor if you don’t embrace His wisdom for your salvation, your family, your finances, your future—everything. When it comes to the term counselor, the idea in Scripture is not primarily a person who listens. That’s a secular understanding. The biblical idea of counsel involves both careful listening and clear advising. It describes someone who is wise; someone who really knows how to live and will share that knowledge.”
Isaiah was writing nearly 800 years before Christ. Isaiah’s prophecy gave the people of God a hope they so desperately needed: a Child would be born and He would bear the titles “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The word wonderful in this verse literally means “incomprehensible.” The Messiah will cause us to be “full of wonder.” The word is much deeper than the way it’s used in normal conversation today—we say things are “wonderful” in place of pleasant, lovely, or the least bit likable. Jesus is wonderful in a way that is incomprehensible to the mind. The word counselor means a wise king like Solomon who gave wise guidance. Jesus as our Wonderful Counselor means we can trust Him to listen to our problems and guide us in the right direction. He listens. He cares because He loves us. His love is so wide and deep and wonderful that we cannot really comprehend it.
Wonderful counselor. I am so thankful that Jesus is that for me – for everyone. He is a miraculous, beyond my imagination, full of wonder Friend who listens, cares, gives wisdom beyond my understanding because He loves me deeper than I can comprehend. Our world is full of evil and evil things happen daily. It is easy to think we are living in the worst of times but as I read history I find that there has always been evil happenings. The Old Testament is full of evil doings and the people didn’t have what we have today. They didn’t have a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. They did not have miraculous Wisdom to guide them through in the same way we do. Jesus, incomprehensible Wisdom, can to live in our hearts over 2000 years ago and still we make the decision to make our own decisions and lean on our own understanding. When you think about it that is probably the most incomprehensible thing I can think of. He has given it all to anyone that would choose to accept His love and yet we turn from the Wonderful Counselor and make decisions that we like and what make sense to us and keep us comfortable. Wow. That is something to ponder.
Here are a couple more names of Jesus. His name are hope, peace, joy, love. This Christmas season meditate on Who He is for you and all He has for you. You are the reason He came to earth. You are the reason He is a Wonderful Counselor. It is all for you, Receive all He is for you. I will share more next week.
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks and lays down His own life for His sheep. ..I am the Good Shepherd; and I know and recognize My own, and My own know and recognize Me - Even as the Father knows Me and I also know the Father – and I am giving My life and laying it down on behalf of the sheep.” John 10:11,14-15
“I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him shall bear much fruit. Apart from Me you can do nothing. If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified that you bear much fruit, so you will be My disciples.” John 15:5, 7-8
Lord, this is my prayer today - “For my determined purpose is that I may know You, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of Your Person more strongly and more clearly..” (Philippians 3:10) To me, that is what this season and this unity with You is all about – knowing You. The more I become deeply and intimately acquainted with You the more I know who I am in You. Knowing You gives me the joy, peace and love to go and share You with everyone who is lost without hope. Your determined purpose is that all come to truly know You and Who You are not just who man says You are. I can only know You as I spend time perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of Your Person more strongly and more clearly. You have not hidden Yourself from me or anyone else. You have made Yourself known and now I must choose to listen to You words and receive Your love. You are my Savior and I will exalt and praise Your Name for You have done great and mighty things and Your Name will stand forever. Amen
December 3, 2017
The last week I have shared about some of the names of Jesus in relation to this Christmas season. “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His Name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:4 Prince of Peace. What a name! How does Who He is as the Prince of Peace work into our lives? I look up some definitions and thoughts from a commentary on Prince of Peace.
This is what it said: The Hebrew word for “peace,” shalom, is often used in reference to an appearance of calm and tranquility of individuals, groups, and nations. The Greek word eirene means “unity and accord”; Paul uses eirene to describe the objective of the New Testament church. But the deeper, more foundational meaning of peace is “the spiritual harmony brought about by an individual’s restoration with God.”
God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to restore a relationship behind the Father and His children, us. We were created to have an intimate relationship with God the Father and when sin came into the world that close bond could not be the same. God sent Jesus as a baby. He did not come as some great leader as the people in those days were looking for. Jesus gave up His deity and left it in heaven to come as a baby human that would live a life just as man does. He was tempted in every way as man and choose to keep His eyes on His Father and not give in to any of the temptations. If He would have come in any other way but as one of us He could not relate to us and we would not believe He truly understood us. Yes, He would have understood because He was God but that would give each person a reason to not draw near to Him since He would seem to be too out of reach. God knew what He was doing when He sent His Son as a baby over 2000 years ago. Then when Jesus died on the cross and was buried and rose again He made peace between God and man. Man no longer has to work for a relationship with God but man has a relationship because if Jesus is in the heart of man – that man can come to God through Jesus the Son. It is hard for me to put it into words that are easy to understand but I am so thankful that I can have an intimate relationship with my heavenly Father because of Jesus. Jesus came as the Prince of Peace – Prince means “chief man of the state”. Jesus came as the chief man of the state of peace. Or chief man of unity and accord and the spiritual harmony brought about by an individual’s restoration with God. He came as the chief way – the only way to have restoration with God. To me, that is so powerful. He is the only way and He is near and desires for us to live in Him. I like this part of Romans 5:1 – “let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God and the joy of reconciliation with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed.”
Sunday: “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His Name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:4 Jesus, You are my peace. Because You are the Prince of Peace and You gave up Your life for everyone at the cross and was buried and rose again to Life, there is now peace between my heavenly Father and man. I know longer have to fight and work for a relationship with my Father. Peace means that there is a state of rest, quietness and calmness. It is perfect wellness. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among men with whom He is well-pleased.” Luke 2:14 I praise You always and choose to walk in the peace that is already in me because You are in me. Amen
Monday: Father, thank You for this word of truth -“And God’s peace shall be yours - that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is - that peace which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 What a promise to see and hold close when in my own understanding nothing makes sense. I worship You always. Amen
Tuesday: “And the effects of righteousness will be peace - internal and external - and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever. My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, in safe dwellings and in quiet resting places.” Isaiah 33:17-18 Lord, when I choose to throw away my peace there is no quietness in my heart. When I do that I am hurting myself physically and emotionally. It is a bad choice that hurts me in more ways than I realize. This time of year is especially easy to get into hecticness and forget what Your coming was really all about. Thank You for being my peace and providing peaceable habitation, in safe dwellings and quiet resting places. “But those who wait for the Lord - who expect, look for and hope in Him - shall renew their strength and power. They shall mount up on wings as eagles. They shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.” Isaiah 40:31 Amen
Wednesday: “So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:11-12 Hallelujah! You are leading me in peace and joy. Thank You for showing me that all creation knows Your peace and are rejoicing in Your love. Your Word always leads me and I thank You that Your Word never returns without producing and accomplishing what it was purposed to do. You are my Lord and my Savior and I love You. Amen
Thursday: “You will guard me and keep me in perfect and constant peace because my mind, both its inclination and its character is stayed on You, because I commit myself to You, lean on You and hopes confidently in You. So I trust in You, commit myself to You, Lean on You, hope confidently in You forever; for You are an everlasting Rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4 Thank You and Amen (written in 1st person)
Friday: “And let the peace from Christ rule in your hearts..” Colossians 3:15 Today, Lord, I choose to let Your peace guard and protect my heart. Without Your peace my heart would be hard, sick and full of fear. Your love surpasses everything and guards me as I am growing, learning and trusting You. “For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10 Thank You that Your love and peace are NEVER taken from me no matter what. Just knowing You are there for me and with me makes all the difference and brings me unbelievable peace. Praise You always. Amen
Saturday: “How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7 Father, You tell me over and over the value, importance and power of Your peace. Your peace will change the world the nations, this country, my family. As I know, live and experience Your peace in my daily life others around me will see it and desire to experience it also. That is what I want. I desire that Your peace is so overflowing from my heart that it is evident in every part of my life and that there is no one, no situation, no circumstance, no storm that could make me give up my peace I have in You. Peace will change the world – not the peace the world talks about but Your peace. Peace heals bodies, relationships and hearts. This Christmas I will shout from the rooftops or the mountains that the Savior is born and the same peace I experience by announcing the arrival of the Prince of Peace I want to share with all around me. Thank You that every minute of each day of this Christmas season can be peaceful, loving and full of sharing You as the Prince of Peace. I choose today to walk in Your Peace and rejoice in all things. Glory to God!!!! Amen