“…the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
What is it about God that separates Him from the whole of creation? It is that He is the Creator, Redeemer, Savior, Guide, and, as revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ, Love, Life, and Light. Everything good and holy distinguishes as God our Maker, and Redeemer. The fact that He is holy sets Him apart from all that is unholy, all that has to do with sin, Satan, this sinful world, and self. This is why He is revealed in the Scriptures as the thrice Holy God. Not only is there the emphasis given to the fact, and reality, of His holy nature, but also that every member of the Godhead is HOLY. There is nothing in, or proceeding from Him, that is not holy. This brings us to our subject of God being the believer’s counselor, not just a counsellor, but the Wonderful Counselor. It is important to grasp that the words, “Wonderful Counselor,” is a precise and powerful description of His person, as He actually and constantly is. In the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is revealed the mercy, grace, and love, according to which, He desires and wills to BE our counselor. This is seen in His goodness to sinful men, and affirmed by His life in abundance that He desires to give. This Wonderful Counselor has an objective. His will and desire is to impart His blessed, Holy, good, and wonderful Life, which is eternal and unchanging. He does this in a very tangible manner by being our never failing Counselor.
Throughout the Old Testament, we see God intervening in the lives of individuals, peoples, and nations, to reveal to them that He IS God. He works to lay the basis for their faith, their absolute trust. He accomplishes this by giving them counsel. He does this often in answer to their call when in need. It is important to realize that He works wonderfully to reveal HIMSELF as the only One giving true counsel. He responds to the faith of the one needing, and seeking earnestly His counsel, by revealing clearly that which is His will, according to His wisdom. His confirmation, or witness, of that which He counsels is revealed so that the believer will KNOW that it is God who is leading and going before. So then, how can the believer seek counsel, with the assurance that God will answer?
We find the answer in the words of Jesus concerning the “promise of the Father, ” the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. In John’s gospel, the Lord said: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (Jn. 14:26) He goes on to add that this Comforter is “…the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me.” (15:26) When a person comes to Christ, and is born of the Spirit, he or she becomes one with Christ as a new creation. That believer receives the Holy Spirit, or as John puts it, an anointing, that “…teacheth you of all things.” (1 Jn. 2:27) The Spirit of God has been given to every believer to seal him, keep, lead and guide him. He is constantly in, and with the believer, being the very Spirit of Christ. Christ dwells in the heart by this Holy Spirit. An essential part of His ministry is to teach us all things, to reveal to us the things that are freely given to us of God. The Spirit of God takes the objective word of God, revealing its truths as they pertain to our existence, and living on this earth. The Spirit will wonderfully instruct and teach the one who will truly expectantly trust and obey. The wonder of God in Christ, being our wonderful counselor, is revealed to us in His perfect wisdom, love, and goodness. He makes no mistakes, and all His counsel is good.
Dear Father, Teach us Thy way, having Thy thoughts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.