Wonderful Counselor

Isaiah 9:6 KJV

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Follow the Counsel of God

Under God’s direction, nothing can prevail against you

Isaiah 7:1 KJV

1 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.

If you keep your life in God’s hand, no weapon formed against you shall prosper. There will be hard times, but they cannot prevail.

God wants to show you that he is with you and for you

God sent Isaiah to Ahaz with a message that these enemies would not prevail, and he specifically said:

Isaiah 7:10–14 KJV

10 Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; Ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. 13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel.

God wanted to prove to this man that he was going to preserve this man and deliver him from his enemies.

But he apparently was constrained by what he could see of the threats that they had made concerning him, and was more interested in leaning on the wisdom of what he could see.

Seek counsel of God, not the worldly ideas of wisdom

Isaiah 8:16–20 KJV

16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. 17 And I will wait upon the Lord, That hideth his face from the house of Jacob, And I will look for him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me Are for signs and for wonders in Israel From the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion. 19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, And unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: Should not a people seek unto their God? For the living to the dead? 20 To the law and to the testimony: If they speak not according to this word, It is because there is no light in them.

Why seek the living among the dead?

Why seek answers among the ones who only want questions?

Wonderful

KJV separates with a comma, but modern translations reflect the adjectival nature of this word. Jesus is a wonderful Counselor.

Wonderful: beyond human capability, beyond what you ever could have imagined. It is at the level where you know it has to be a work of God.

The Wonderful Counselor

Jonathan Haidt of Heterodox Academy, author of The Coddling of the American Mind, notes several trends that have led to alarming levels of anxiety and depression among Gen Z as they have arrived on university campuses. One of the trends he notes is that, as the first generation to grow up with social media, for the first time possibly in history, young people in large numbers are largely missing the influence of older generations - of counsel. Everything they consume is from within their own generation.

Teaches Insight into What Brought you Here

John 14:26 KJV

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Reshapes your perspective of the past, and what brought you here.

Teaches how to Live a Righteous Life in the Present Age

Titus 2:11–13 KJV

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

You can live for God in the present age.

That is because the grace of God is a counselor, teaching you in the present day how to conduct yourself to please God.

A life permeated by the righteousness of God is a wonderful foretaste of the world to come. It’s an opportunity to live in an eternal dimension while in this present world.

Prepares you for What’s Coming

John 16:13 KJV

13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The Spirit of Truth (the paraklete - helper, comforter, revealer) will guide you into all truth. Revelation, prophecy

He will show you things to come. That is to say, he will reveal the purposes of the kingdom of God to you, giving you direction into how you can fulfill the kingdom of God in your own life.

Past, present and future: God is guiding you.

God wants to make something wonderful out of your life!