For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:6-7
Into the turmoil of our world, our families, our hearts, comes One who is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. These names of the promised Messiah who came on Christmas always rivet my attention when reading this prophetic passage in Isaiah. Reflection on any one of those names stirs wonder within and calms my heart. But this Advent season a different phrase brought the peace into my unsettled world.
“The government will be on his shoulders.”
Like a placard, the words hung over a door through which too many uninvited concerns had paraded. Concerns that demanded urgent attention, shouted threats, and bullied my composure. Now the words of Scripture blocked out the noise and boldly declared, “The government of life, the government of your life, is not on your shoulders, they are on mine.”
The dictionary helps us understand what it means for the Lord to govern our lives:
• He exercises continuous sovereign authority over us
• He controls, directs, and strongly influences the actions that touch our lives
• He exerts a determining influence over us
• He holds our lives in check
• He prevails and has a decisive influence over our lives
Verse seven elucidates the blessings of our Lord’s government – nothing falls outside His influence (no end to the increase of his government), He rules with peace, justice and righteousness, and He is zealous to govern and accomplish His perfect will.
The Messiah has come and the government is on His shoulders. Let us rest under His loving reign until He returns to free us from the conflicts of this world and bring us into His Kingdom.
Today’s post comes from gifted writer and leader of our local writers group, Barbara Higby of The Hope Perspective.