"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
honestly, one of the reasons i put off continuing this series is that i knew i had to write about jesus coming as Mighty God, but at the time, i knew i was struggling to believe that he was mighty, so i felt like a hypocrite writing about it. for example, when i am anxious, i'm actively not believing that jesus is in control or that he can take care of me (thus, not mighty... or at least not mighty enough... yikes). then it hit me -- no matter when i write about this, it will be hypocritical -- i'm never going to fully grasp these truths to the point of not ever struggling to believe them. so, as you read these words, know that i fully believe them as truth, but my flesh is weak when it comes to living like i believe them.
when i think about what it means that jesus is to be called Mighty God, a few words come to mind: sovereign, powerful, in control, holy, glorious... completely other, completely unlike us. when i think of jesus as Mighty God, i think of passages like colossians 1.15-20 and verses like hebrews 1.3: "he is the radiance of the glory of god and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power." jesus upholds the universe by the word of his power -- i mean, WOW. if in him all things are held together and he is preeminent in everything, i think he can hold my life together and be preeminent in my life. if he upholds the universe, i think he is powerful enough to uphold my life.
this is why the incarnation is so utterly baffling. this same jesus -- through and for whom all things were created -- came to earth as a BABY. as much as i love my sweet little 7-month-old nephew, the bottom-line is that he does absolutely nothing for me. he sleeps, eats, and cries... and that's about it. this is how jesus came! and when all he could do was sleep, eat, and cry, people were coming and bowing at his feet in WORSHIP -- because they recognized him as Mighty God.
today's entry in jesus calling communicates this same idea:
I am King of kings and Lord of lords, dwelling in dazzling bright Light! I am also your Shepherd, Companion, and Friend -- the One who never lets go of your hand. Worship Me in My holy Majesty; come close to Me, and rest in My Presence. You need Me both as God and as Man. Only My Incarnation on that first, long-ago Christmas could fulfill your neediness. Since I went to such extreme measures to save you from your sins, you can be assured that I will graciously give you all you need.
Nurture well your trust in Me as Savior, Lord, and Friend. I have held back nothing in My provision for you. I have even deigned to live within you! Rejoice in all that I have done for you, and My Light will shine through you into the world.
instead of striving to understand the incarnation intellectually or academically, this year i'm striving simply to rest in the reality of it -- to believe it, to allow it to move my heart to worship -- to worship the Mighty God that came to us as a baby.
