“For to us
a child is born … And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God…”
 |
| Source: www.todaysword.org |
As I write this, I am in tears.
It has been
a really rough week in the midst of a terrible month. I feel overwhelmed from
all sides and from all places – spiritual, family, work, national tragedies … I
am emotionally drained and trying desperately to hold on. Every time I think I
have it together, something else falls apart. It seems in each area of my life
I find myself wrestling with God and myself. Have you ever been here too?
Typically,
God lays the titles of my devotions on my heart – sometimes weeks or months in
advance of when I write them. I love how He does this. It’s like we have a
secret game together … “I’ll give you the
title, and you live out the content. Give My title some breath; I will give it
the fire.”
The title
“Wonderful Counselor” dropped into my heart on March 18, 2013, at 9:26 am –
exactly one month ago as I write this. I know this because I immediately put
the title in the notes section of my phone. If I ever lost my notes, God and I
would need to retreat together to a quiet place for quite some time so that He
could refresh my memory!
I knew the
name “Wonderful Counselor” was one of Jesus’ names. I also knew that once we
become true believers, the Holy Spirit enters us and counsels us from within.
So, when the title was pressed into my heart back in March, while I was in a
truly good place in my spiritual and physical life, I wondered who in my world
might soon need some counseling. I sat back and waited upon the Lord.
Little did
I know that a few short weeks from that prompting, my spiritual high would
start to slip, my safe and secure outer world would start to fail, and my
inward resilience would start to shake. God knew though. He is so good.
However, let's get back to the
present … More bad news has just come, but the most marvelous thing happens. The Bible has literally fallen open to this verse in Isaiah (9:6) as I plop my
exhausted body down on the couch in utter defeat: “For to us a child is born … And
He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God…” As I read the
Scripture, the words “Wonderful Counselor” jump off the page and my tears flow
harder. There is that title – the one in my phone – and suddenly it all makes sense.
My life is
ripping open at many of its seams, and I become conscious of my mistake. It is
this: I have put on His shield, yet I walk out the door every day with a false
sense of security. I have been telling myself God can handle all this mess, and
then I move on, plastering a smile on my face as I go and face others. So,
what’s the problem? I am talking the talk but not walking the walk. I am not
getting on my knees, actively handing my struggles over to Him and
seeking His wisdom. I am not allowing Jesus to be everything He is. I am only
seeking out our Lord as Creator, Savior, and King of Kings, not as Wonderful
Counselor. I am not treating Him as my wise leader but reducing Him to my “holy
handyman” – there to fix everything.
I am
stuffing my stress down into my heart instead of releasing it to the One who
can provide counsel, guidance, and advice. I have His hope; I am missing His
truth! I am lying to myself, believing my relationship with God is whole. In reality,
I am missing some critical pieces. I have made God too small. Have you ever
done this too?
With this
Scripture, I know in my soul that my God is here! My Wonderful Counselor is
right here. And now, I am ready to listen to His advice…
“Take a deep breath and slow down. Let Me calm your spirit
during this emotional time … Be slow to anger … You can do this through Me. I
will give you strength … Let that one go. It’s not from Me … Ask for help … Seek forgiveness … Smile at the silliness instead of worrying about the time …
Wait on Me … Don’t panic. It’s not what you think … Make the call … Send that
email … Support him … Love her.”
God has
many names for a reason.[1]
We are not meant to come to a relationship with just one or two sides of God.
The complexity of our lives requires us to know everything of who God is and to
be thankful for each unique character of God that these names bring to our
relationship table.
“For by
wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is
victory” (Proverbs 24:6).
Now, I am
equipped to stand up and face these things … face them with all of who He is
and in obedience to His infinite wisdom. Amen.
Prayer
– Wonderful Counselor, I seek to know You more in this role. I am sorry for
trusting You with only my head and not with my heart and soul. As things fall
apart, I will seek Your guidance and wisdom – not just Your hope and love. You
supply us with everything we need. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
© 2013 As A Clay Jar. All rights reserved.
[1] Here is a comprehensive list of
God’s names I found that include their biblical references. This is pretty
amazing, huh? Which character of God are you missing? http://smilegodlovesyou.org/names.html
No comments:
Post a Comment