This verse is the culmination of God’s promise: “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” (Isaiah 9:6). Oh what a Savior Jesus is. He doesn’t become a Savior over time—even as a baby in the manger He is our Savior. The word for Savior tells us that the One has appeared who completely frees us from all evil and danger. Jesus was sent to give us victory, even over death. Nothing can separate us from the love of this Savior! The Hebrew people had long awaited the Messiah, but many completely missed His appearance due to their preconceptions of how God should do His work. How tragic. But our world isn’t so different today. The “arrogance of man” is to tell God how to do His business, when our spiritual response needs to be the very opposite: an attitude of openness and obedience to His will and His ways. In our striving to be strong and get ahead, to have our way, we miss the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. My dear friends, humble your spirit and open your heart to the birth of the Anointed One. We already know full well our plans, our schemes, doing things in our way and our own power doesn’t bring salvation and peace to our souls or to our world. Only a true Savior can do that. He is here. He was born to me, to you, to all of us. Darlene Zschech, Revealing Jesus: A 365-Day Devotional (Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House, 2013).
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