Verse: 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.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:6-7
Meditation: This time a year people send out all kinds of cards, boasting the joy of family; announcing change with excitement; and promising good things with the new year. Could you imagine putting this birth announcement on your fridge? It’s 700 years early, announcing a royal baby, and then boasting what that baby will do—what only God can do. Only God can be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace in the big picture of time and space, but also in the little picture of our personal chaos.
Prayer: Lord, in a culture of instability, polarity, and chaotic self-indulgence, help ___________ to seek and hear You above everything else. Help me to do the same. Let them see that when they don’t know what to do and Satan is crouching at the door of their mental health, YOU are Wonderful Counselor. Show them that when the stability and safety of their family fails and breaks that YOU are Everlasting Father. Reveal Yourself to them as they look out over the divisive polarity of the American political, social, and generational culture, because YOU are the Prince of Peace. And Lord remind them that You are gentle enough to knit them together in the womb AND powerful enough to lay the foundations of the universe because YOU are Mighty God. Amen.