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

{ if reading that verse doesn't immediately make

this song

get stuck in your head,

i feel deeply sorry for you. }

this verse gets a lot of attention this time of year, as it is believed to be a prophecy about the coming messiah -- jesus christ. i've decided to spend some time this year focusing on these four names isaiah ascribes to him -- starting, of course, with Wonderful Counselor.

honestly, i think i understand christ as my Wonderful Counselor more this christmas season than perhaps i ever have. for most of 2011, chris and i felt quite directionless. we knew we wanted to get married, but we had no idea where we were going to live or how we were going to pay rent once we got there. we didn't decide on norman until about 6 weeks before the wedding, and we didn't have a source of income until about 6 days before the wedding. needless to say, we were in desperate need of a wise adviser, a knowledgable guide, a Wonderful Counselor.

paul e. miller, in his book a praying life, writes, "i prefer the biblical term wisdom to our more common term guidance. guidance means i'm driving the car and asking god which way to go. wisdom is richer, more personal. i don't just need help with my plans; i need help with my questions and even my own heart" (145). seeking the lord as my Wonderful Counselor and asking him for wisdom requires my recognition that he is the one driving the car -- not me. it is an act of relinquishing control -- even the desire for control -- and submitting to his plans for my life... but my goodness, it's hard to get to that place.

i met with a christian counselor for about 10 weeks this summer. let's be honest, i probably should have done this years ago, but i had such a stigma against counseling. stigmas and stereotypes are the worst. they lead to all kinds of silly assumptions and missed opportunities. for the record, meeting with her was easily one of the best decisions i've ever made -- ever. as a third party, she was able to speak boatloads of truth into my life and to point me to the Wonderful Counselor more than any other person would have been able to during that season. he was counseling me, calling out to me, leading me, and speaking to me through her. i write this hoping that it will tear down the stigma against counseling for at least one person -- i have seen the lord use it in huge ways in my own life, as well as in the lives of several friends.

this christmas season, i am thankful that jesus came as the Wonderful Counselor. i am thankful that the lord of the universe even cares to be lord of my little ol' life. i am thankful that he speaks through earthly counselors. i am continually praying for the desire to relinquish control -- that's such a hard one for me! -- and the humility to submit to his infinite wisdom.