Some friends were having challenges in their marriage and asked if they could come over to talk with me and my husband. We were happy to meet with them and prayed for God to give us the words He knew they would need to hear. After they shared with us some of the struggles that they were facing in their marriage, we began to remind them of what they already knew – that God has given us everything we need to have victory in the battles that we face in our marriage relationship.
In Isaiah chapter 6, when Isaiah announces the birth of the promised King, he is announcing the birth of the one who would help and sustain us through dark times. This announcement of the king uses four significant and important names. The first name he used was the name: “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
The name “Wonderful Counselor” is a name that should give a deep sense of peace in our heart and mind, because this name literally means that Jesus will be a “supernatural source of extraordinary wisdom” to those of us who need direction and guidance.
Since He has been given this position as our Wonderful Counselor, we can be certain that He is there whenever we come into His presence asking for wisdom and guidance that only He can give.
“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.” Proverbs 2:6-8
The Creator and Savior of the world, and the fulfillment of the teachings of the Old and New Testament, is our “Wonderful Counselor!” His counsel is found in the Word that He gave us, is there when we turn to him in prayer, when we seek godly counsel from brothers and sisters in Christ who are seeking him diligently, and he walks beside us every minute of every day.
His Holy Spirit can help us in ways that go far beyond our comprehension. He “helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26) he “chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1), and his plans for us are plans of “welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29)
Because the promised King came and became our “wonderful counselor,” we have at our disposal all that we need to grow a healthy, spirit-filled, Christ-centered marriage. We only need to lift our eyes, and our hearts to him in humble submission and rely on our wonderful counselor to give us what we need to walk out a marriage that mirrors the relationship that he has with us, his bride.
After we shared this truth with our friends, feeling a sense of relief, our friends thanked us for reminding them that “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…” (2 Peter 1:3) All they needed to do was to set their hearts and minds on Him - our Wonderful Counselor – and ask him for wisdom. He will guide them through any conflict and enable them to love each other the way that He loves us!
During this Christmas season, let us remind ourselves of who it is we are celebrating, why it is that he came, and what has been provided for us because the “Wonderful Counselor” was born.
Gina Smith is a writer and author who has been married for 31 years to Brian, a college professor and athletic trainer. For the past 20+ years Gina and her husband have served on a Christian college campus as the on-campus parents, and her husband has been a professor and dean of students. They have lived on the campus where they raised both of their now married children. In her spare time, she loves to write, writes for several websites, and recently authored her first book “Grace Gifts: Practical Ways To Help Your Children Understand God's Grace". She also writes at her personal blog: ginalsmith.com.
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