Wonderful Counselor

“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 9:6

We often quote this verse at Christmastime, write it in our cards, or have decorations in our homes with it on display. However, how often do we truly meditate on the powerful titles that this verse gives for Jesus Christ? In this post, I’d like to take some time to reflect specifically on Jesus as our Wonderful Counselor.

Merriam-Webster defines wonderful as “exciting wonder; unusually good” and defines a counselor as “a person who provides advice as a job: a person who counsels people”. I think it is safe to say that giving this description to Jesus goes well beyond how these definitions define these words. Christ is even more than unusually good, He is perfect. Christ is more than just someone who gives advice, He is the ultimate source of wisdom and direction since He is all-knowing and all-powerful!

The Ultimate Source of Wisdom

So what does Christ being our wonderful counselor mean for us today? First, He is the source of the wisdom we need for everything we face. As our wonderful counselor, He wants to guide us through those difficult decisions and crossroads in life. James 1:5 tells us “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Proverbs 3:5-6 also instructs us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” We see that the Lord can be trusted and we can depend on him to give us His perfect wisdom and direction. These passages also bring up the second wonder of Christ being our wonderful counselor: we can talk to Him at all times through prayer.

Christ is even more than unusually good, He is perfect. Christ is more than just someone who gives advice, He is the ultimate source of wisdom and direction since He is all-knowing and all-powerful!

Always Available to Listen

Prayer is the means by which we can do what the above passages say in asking and acknowledging the Lord. We can ask the Lord in faith for wisdom and direction as our wonderful counselor and He can advise us like no earthly counselor can. If you’ve ever been in counseling, you know that you typically only have a certain number of sessions or you’re limited to talking with your counselor maybe once a week. The Lord is available to listen to us every minute of every day. We can pour out our hearts to Him at any time knowing that He is the ultimate listener and advisor.

Our Faithful and Loving Lord

The Lord is not only our wonderful counselor, but our wonderful counselor who will never abandon us and will continually, faithfully love us. What more characteristics could we want or need from the Lord to be able to trust Him and lean on Him as our wonderful counselor?

As we trust the Lord and ask Him to guide us, we must do so from a heart of faith. We also must quiet our hearts and minds to be able to listen and be sensitive to the Lord’s leading. It can be so easy in our fast-paced lives, especially this time of year, to forsake the blessing of Christ as our Wonderful Counselor. May we all strive this Christmas season to funnel our focus to Who the Lord, our Wonderful Counselor, truly is and be thankful to Him for that! May we seek Him first in all situations and give thanks to Him for His unwavering faithfulness and love to us at all times.

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