God meets us in our need by giving Himself—our Counselor, Strength, and Father—inviting us to bring every burden to Him in prayer.
Friends, welcome. If your heart feels hurried, your calendar crowded, your mind a little muddled, you’re in the right place. The Lord meets us here—where questions hum and worries tug. Long before our schedules became so loud and life so layered, God gave us a name to whisper in weary seasons: a name that reads like a warm blanket and a steady hand. Isaiah told us of a Child and gave us His names. Each name fits the ache we carry. Each name lifts the chin and steadies the soul.
When Isaiah picked up his pen, God placed hope on the horizon in syllables we can still hear today. These are not labels for a plaque; they are life for people who wake up wondering, “What do I do next? How will I make it through this? Does anyone see me?” The answer is a Person with a name that reaches into our confusion, our weakness, and our longing. This is a word for Monday meetings and midnight tears, for hospital rooms and kitchen tables, for big decisions and small discouragements.
You may feel like you need a thousand fixes. God gives you Himself. He comes near as Counselor for the questions you can’t untangle, as Mighty for the battles you can’t win, as Father for the needs you can’t name. You can take these names like a key, like a compass, like a cup of cool water. Hold them, repeat them, rest in them. Whisper them over your kids. Pray them over your problems. Sing them in the car and cling to them in the night.
E.M. Bounds once wrote, “God shapes the world by prayer.” If that’s true—and it is—then tonight God is shaping your world as you turn your face to Him. So bring what’s heavy. Bring what’s hidden. Bring what’s fragile. The Counselor will not confuse you. The Mighty will not fail you. The Father will not forget you.
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:6 (ESV) “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.”
Opening Prayer: Father, we come with open hands and hopeful hearts. Thank You for giving us Your Son. Thank You for names that meet our needs. Be our Wonderful Counselor—speak clarity where there is clutter, wisdom where there is worry, and direction where there is doubt. Be our Mighty God—stretch out Your strong arm over our homes, our health, our habits, and our hurts. Fight for us and strengthen us. Be our Everlasting Father—hold us close, heal our wounds, and remind us we are Yours. Let Your peace settle on this room and on every restless thought. Holy Spirit, attune our ears to Your voice and our lives to Your will. In the name of Jesus, who is our Counselor, our Mighty God, and our Everlasting Father, we pray. Amen.
So take a deep breath. Set your burdens at the feet of the One whose shoulders carry governments and whose hands carry you. Let’s listen for His counsel, lean into His power, and live under His fatherly care.
Isaiah says a child would carry a name that includes counsel. That matters for people who need a way forward. It matters when choices stack up and the path feels foggy. The name points to wisdom that does not wear out. It points to care that stays close. Guidance is part of His gift.
The word wonderful means beyond the normal. It points to something of God. The word counselor in that world was a word for a king who could plan a war and order a nation. So the title speaks of wisdom that shapes real life. It links to the line about the government on His shoulder. He does not toss advice like a coin. He bears weight. He carries plans that hold. He sees the end from the start. He reads the heart and the history and the road ahead. He knows the fear under the question and the motives that pull the strings. When He speaks, plans come with power. When He leads, the path fits the promise. His counsel is clean, steady, and kind. His counsel never bends the truth. His counsel takes the tangled and gives steps that a tired soul can take.
He gives counsel first through His word. The Scripture is not a shelf of quotes. It is a living voice. A lamp for feet. A straight line in a bent world. The child who would come grew up and taught with clear words. He spoke about anger, lust, truth, money, worry, prayer, mercy, enemies, and trust. He told stories that make us see. He gave commands that are hard and good. When we sit under those words, our inner map gets rebuilt. We learn to choose peace over payback. We learn to forgive seventy times seven. We learn to say yes with a clean heart and no with a firm tone. We learn to seek first the kingdom. We learn to take the log out of our own eye. This is counsel that makes decisions lighter because our loves get ordered. This is counsel that reaches work, school, parenting, friendship, and rest. Open the text. Read slow. Read again. Ask, What does this show me about Jesus? Ask, What step fits this truth? Then take that step. Do the next thing His word makes clear. Light comes as we walk in the light we have.
He also guides by His Spirit. The same Lord who spoke in Galilee now writes truth on the heart. He brings to mind what Jesus said. He gives a check when our plan bends toward pride. He gives a steady nudge when fear stalls our feet. He gives comfort when grief steals words. He can press a line of Scripture into the mind at the right hour. He can quiet a storm in the chest so we can hear. His voice will match His book. His voice will honor His character. We can test what we sense by holding it up to Scripture, by looking for the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and by asking wise saints who know us and know the Lord. Ask Him for wisdom. Wait with open hands. Write down what comes. Look for the clear next step. Then move. If the path needs a turn, He will show it. If the timing needs a pause, He will give it. This is not a fog machine. This is a Father’s care through the Spirit of Christ, leading in ways that fit both truth and tenderness.
His counsel lands in daily scenes. You sit with a hard choice at work. You face a tense talk at home. You got news from the doctor you did not want. He cares about each scene. Start with surrender. Say, Your will, not mine. Gather facts with honesty. Seek counsel from people who fear God and love you. Lay your options under the light of Scripture. Ask what choice best loves God and neighbor. Pay attention to what promotes peace that guards the heart and mind in Christ. Peace does not mean ease. Peace means the inner war quiets as you obey. Set a pace that matches wisdom. Some choices need a quick yes. Some choices need a slow walk. Meanwhile, keep doing the clear things. Tell the truth. Keep a soft heart. Work hard. Be gentle. Be just. Be thankful. Watch for doors that open without you forcing them. Watch for doors that close and save you from harm. He is guiding in all this. He directs with His word. He steadies with His Spirit. He lines up providence in ways you could not script. When you look back, you will see a thread of care that held you when you felt unsure.
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