Lesson One • Wonderful Counselor
Devotion 3: God’s Job Description
Debbie Kerr
Can you recall the best Christmas gift you ever received? I mean, can you think of the one that made you squeal with delight? This time of year, we are inundated with television commercials for the latest and greatest products. The stores start announcing their doorbuster sales in early November. Black Friday now begins on Thanksgiving Day before your turkey has had a chance to digest. We can hardly wait to score the hottest ticket items for the best price! We stress and overschedule ourselves throughout December to make our holiday one to remember. If we are honest, we run ourselves ragged as if it is our job to make everyone on our list happy. When we put our hope in the commercialism of Christmas, we can almost guarantee disappointment and serious debt. If we can set aside the hustle and bustle of the season and focus on the true meaning of Christmas, it can be the most wonderful time of the year! However, it can also be one of the most difficult times of the year that can bring depression, heartache, loneliness, and pain.
Do you suppose it is a coincidence that the most difficult time of the year is also the same wonderful season we celebrate the greatest Gift of all, the birth of the Savior of the world? He is Immanuel, God with us! God in His abundant love and mercy sent His Only Son not just to save us from our sins but to also save us from ourselves! The prophet Isaiah foretold hundreds of years before Christ’s birth the titles of Jesus, given to Him by the Father. One of the amazing titles and positions He possesses is our Wonderful Counselor. He is called Wonderful, or full of wonder! He is amazing, astonishing, awesome, and miraculous! If He is a miracle-working Counselor, then sign me up! He understands what our words cannot adequately articulate, counsels us in our decisions, and guides the best direction in life. In every season of life, He is there, ready to give us the counsel and wisdom that we need. He heals us from the inside out! Isaiah 61:1-3 gives us Jesus’ job description as our Wonderful Counselor.
Isaiah 61:1-3 says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion –
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.”
God also uses earthly counselors as a very real source of comfort and help. There is no shame in counseling with a good Christian counselor, one who knows Jesus does the healing and will point us to His Word and His ways. Always remember that no one understands like Jesus.
Have you made your appointment with the Wonderful Counselor? Maybe a good God-counseling session is in order?