"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.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
We forget so quickly. Life gets hard, distractions come easy, and we lose sight of glory of him whose name we claim. We question why things are they way they are, our perspective slips, and we are tempted to question the love, power and goodness of our Savior. We find ourselves lost, unable to see the path that was once so clearly marked and laid out before us. Our eyes become dim; we need to refocus, to realign our hearts with One whose heart broke for us. We need to see him for who he is, not through the circumstances that cloud our vision. We need to remember who it is that came for us and fix our eyes on him - the One we follow, the One we worship, the One we love, the One we need, and the One we live for. We need to gaze upon the glory of him who came to us that first Advent as a child and son. We need to remember and be transformed.
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given." Love has come. It is this truth that reminds us we are eternally loved. The One we love loved us first, and because of this, he came to us in the flesh. He became like us to save us. He loved us for his sake, so we have nothing to fear because his love is not dependent on what we do or how we perform. It is sourced within himself - who he is, for he is Love.
"The government will be on his shoulders." The One who came for us is sovereign. He reigns. He is on the throne. Nothing he desires can be denied; no plan or purpose of His can be thwarted. As we meditate on this truth our hope and courage are renewed. The One we follow loves us and has everything under control and in his control. Our discouragement wanes, and our confidence builds because nothing can touch us that he in his love does not allow. Despite all the evil that surrounds us, in the midst of all the brokenness, we are secure in the love and sovereignty of God.
"He will be called Wonderful Counselor." The all-knowing One, he who is himself Wisdom, is the One we live for. We have not been left to figure things out on our own. Our Wonderful Counselor lives in us by His Spirit and provides his eternal insight, direction, discernment and perspective. Our minds find rest and our hearts are encouraged when we remember that he who came for us does not desire or expect us to live out of our own limited understanding. We live for him who is our loving, sovereign, infinitely wise Savior. He promises us all the wisdom we lack when we look to him in faith.
"Mighty God." We worship an all-powerful God. We are weak, but he is strong. His name is mighty in power. It is his powerful Word that creates life and sustains life. He is a God who performs miracles, and his awesome works display his power among the peoples. It is his mighty arm that has redeemed his people. We are called to consider the mighty deeds of the the Lord. When we do, our hearts rediscover the incomparably great power available for us who believe. This loving, sovereign, infinitely wise and mighty God is the one we worship.
"Everlasting Father." We long to be cared for, to be looked after, supported, provided for, delighted in, and loved without condition. The one we need is the one who came; he is our Everlasting Father. He has adopted us as his sons and daughters. We are a treasured part of the family of God. Nothing can separate us from him, and he will never desert us. We are the beloved of the Father forever.
"Prince of Peace." He who reigns in our hearts is our peace. We have eternal peace through our reconciliation to God, and we have peace in the midst of the tumult of this world. As we entrust ourselves to him he assures us that his peace that is beyond understanding will guard our hearts and minds. If we believe he loves us, reigns in sovereign mighty power, and generously grants the wisdom we need moment by moment, what is there to fear? He is our Prince of Peace.
When we fix our eyes upon Advent's glory, we remember who it is we need, love, live for, follow and worship. He is the child and son born to us. He is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. As we gaze upon the majesty of our Savior we find our faith strengthened, our hope renewed, our vision cleared, and our path straightened. We remember and find we've been transformed.