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)

Long ago, when God promised His people a child, a son who would rule and reign over them forever, He said that one of the titles for this child would be “Wonderful Counselor.” Whether we realize it or not, counsel is something we all need.

When we walk through difficulties and challenges in life, we seek counsel from people around us (or at least we should). We do this because we’re looking for help and for wisdom in the decisions we make. Seeking counsel involves humility because we are admitting that we are prone to do things that are not wise. We are prone to act in ways that we later regret. We need help.

However, when it comes to seeking human counsel, even from those we greatly respect, their advice is not always perfect. We’ve all experienced this––a trusted friend or mentor tells us to do something and then we realize later that this was not the best decision. Now that’s not to say that we can blame our problems on those who counsel us, but the reality is that even the best counsel (humanly speaking) is still not perfect. Which is why Isaiah’s prophecy is so comforting.

Isaiah promised a wonderful, beautiful, glorious, perfect, reliable Counselor, who we know as Jesus. He helps us as we humble ourselves before Him.

As God in the flesh, He counsels, leads, guides, and directs our lives according to that which is good and right. At the core of our sinful hearts is our tendency to choose our own ways over God’s ways, our own wisdom over God’s wisdom, as if we know better than Him. But thanks be to God, we have a Wonderful Counselor whose wisdom is higher, better, and more beautiful than our own.

PRAYING IN LIGHT OF TODAY’S PASSAGE

Ask God to give you a heart that is submissive and receptive to the wisdom of His Word.