Jesus, the 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

Jesus has many names and He deserves every title of distinction. The descriptive title before us today is no exception. Isaiah says, “His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor.” He’s not the angry counselor, the gruff counselor, or the disconnected counselor. He understands what we’re going through and can advise us while He accompanies us through whatever we are facing. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

You may be surprised to discover the Hebrew word for wonderful is “pela” which actually means wonder or miracle. So the “wonderful” in Wonderful Counselor doesn’t just mean delightful and pleasing but also miraculous. He is a miracle-working Counselor who does what no one else can do for you.

The title means the wisdom of Jesus Christ applied to your life is like nothing else. It’s supernaturally insightful. You can’t get it from any other source. You cannot afford to be making decisions without a guiding word from the Miraculous Counselor. And you can’t call Him Wonderful Counselor if you don’t embrace His wisdom for your salvation, your family, your finances, your future—everything.

When it comes to the term counselor, the idea in Scripture is not primarily a person who listens. That’s a secular understanding. The biblical idea of counsel involves both careful listening and clear advising. It describes someone who is wise; someone who really knows how to live and will share that knowledge.

If Jesus Christ is the Wonderful Counselor—and He is—most often His counsel is not going to come to you audibly from the source. Not that the Lord doesn’t ever speak to people, but Christians have very rarely gotten a direct word from Him. Yet the more His people are immersed in Scriptures and in community with other believers, the more clearly they can discern the mind of Christ. His wonderful counsel comes through His Word and His people.

Are you keeping regular appointments with your Wonderful Counselor? Are you following His instructions? As with all of Jesus’ attributes, His wisdom is in place whether or not we appreciate it or make use of it. But why hesitate to respond to Jesus’ willingness to be our Wonderful Counselor?

Let this be the season to realize once again how the Lord longs to minister in our lives, “and with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) There you will meet your Wonderful Counselor.

Reprinted with permission from Our Journey, copyright 2013 by James MacDonald. All rights reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from Walk in the Word. James is the Founding and Senior Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadow, IL and the Bible teacher of the Walk in the Word radio program.