The Alphabet of Christmas: W is for "wonderful"

For unto us a Child is born,
      Unto us a Son is given;
      And the government will be upon His shoulder.
      And His name will be called
      Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
      Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.(Isaiah 9:6, NKJV)

I have said it so many, many times: how wonderful - how astonishing! - that God would come down to His creation and dwell among us!

To give you an idea, I'd like to show you some of the names of God from the Old Testament, and let you get a glimpse of all the wondrous ways Jesus lived these names and proved Himself, over and over, to be God incarnate:

Jehovah-jireh, "the Lord will provide." It is through God's provision of His Son that we can come to Him and live with Him. Jesus lived and died for us - the perfectly holy sacrifice that God provided on our behalf.

Jehovah-rapha, "the God who heals." Jesus healed the sick - the deaf, the blind, the leprous - but He has also healed a sickness far more lethal: sin.

Jehovah-Shalom, "the Lord our peace." Jesus' birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection have brought us near to God. Where we were once enemies, the blood of Christ has reconciled us to God and made peace between us.

Jehovah-tsidkenu, "the Lord our righteousness." Jesus lived a perfectly righteous and sinless life here on earth. He, and He alone, gained any and all of the merit we need to gain Heaven. Through faith in Him, and in His works, we are clothed in His perfection and righteousness and can stand before God without fear.

Jehovah-ra-ah, "the Lord our Shepherd." Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who lays His life down for His sheep. He goes before us and leads us in the way of truth. He protects us, He shelters us, and He guides our paths.

Jehovah-shammad, "the Lord is present." Jesus came to live among us - Emmanuel, God with us - and now, through faith in Him, His Spirit lives within us. We are never alone, for He is always with us to give us His strength, His love, and His wisdom.

But in a way, I think that El Shaddai Elohim Adonai, "the Lord God Almighty, God our Master," is my favorite. This powerful, eternal being, this almighty God, stepped out of Heaven and into history - all for the love He bore us. For the glory of His Name, He chose us and set His heart upon us. God is not too big to give Himself wholly to us...

His name is, indeed, WONDERFUL!

His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful,
His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord;
He is the mighty King, master of everything,
His name is Wonderful, Jesus, my Lord.

He's the great Shepherd, the Rock of all ages,
Almighty God is He;
Bow down before Him, love and adore Him,
His name is Wonderful, Jesus, my Lord.

The Alphabet of Christmas: Previous post... next post.

Submissions are now closed for the Carnival of Christmas, 2008, and it will be posted tomorrow (probably pretty early in the day, because I was able to get 99% of it done today).