LifeLink Devotions
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
I was impressed when I read a story about the great conductor Eugene Ormandy. He was leading the Philadelphia Orchestra in one of Stravinsky’s compositions, and during one of the rousing movements he dislocated his shoulder. He was so passionately involved in what he was doing and giving his all that he went beyond the limits of his physical capabilities. Now that’s zeal! As I read that I wondered, “Have I ever had so much zeal for something that I’ve dislocated anything? Maybe, just maybe, while preaching I might dislocate my tie.”
Isaiah 9: 6-7 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…the zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”
When Isaiah prophecies the coming Messiah, he gives us two primary pieces of information – the names by which He will be called, and the task to which He has been assigned. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace, and He will come to rule the world in peace forever. Then Isaiah adds “the zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” What is zeal? According to the Hebrew dictionaries, zeal involves several things – passion, determination, and jealousy. Now passion and determination I can understand, but jealousy troubles me. But as I think about it, I understand that God will accomplish His purpose of restoring mankind to relationship with Himself because He is jealous for us. I would do the same for my wife if she were ever distracted from me. My zeal – my jealousy for her and her alone – would drive me to passionate determination to win her back. That’s zeal!
When Isaiah says that the zeal of the LORD will accomplish this, I believe he is referring to more than just the reign of Christ on David’s throne. I believe the zeal of the LORD will also accomplish the Names of the Messiah in our lives. God’s zeal is for more than the fulfillment of a plan – it is for the revelation of Himself to His people. God’s zeal is for us to know Him intimately and experience Him fully. He is determined that we know Him as our Wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God, our Everlasting Father, and our Prince of Peace. He is passionate about bringing us to the abundance of life that can be ours when we know Him fully.
I wonder if we really want to experience Jesus as our Wonderful Counselor, for that implies that we need counseling. We spend our lives avoiding trouble and hardship, when during such trouble we may learn the greatest lessons about God.
Luther B. Bridgers began preaching at age 17 while he was a student at Asbury College in Kentucky. He was a young Methodist minister of unusual zeal and evangelism. In 1910, now 26-years old, the future looked bright for this fiery preacher. God had blessed him with a wonderful wife and three children. The Bridgers family was visiting Mrs. Bridger’s parents at Harrodsburg, Kentucky for the weekend. After the family retired for the night, a neighbor noticed flames coming from their house. He ran into the house and was able to rouse Mrs. Bridgers’ parents and Luther, but the rest of the family members were beyond reach. The young pastor lost his wife and children.
In the awful days of sorrow that followed, Luther remembered that God offered songs of comfort in the night (Ps. 42:8) and would never forsake him. It was during this period that Luther wrote the words and music to a great old hymn entitled “He Keeps Me Singing.” You may be familiar with the words but read them carefully and see the depth of understanding in the heart of the author based on what you know he was experiencing when he wrote them.
“There’s within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low
Fear not, I am with thee, peace be still;
In all of life’s ebb and flow.
“Feasting on the riches of His grace,
Resting ‘neath His shelt’ring wing,
Always looking on His smiling face-
That is why I shout and sing.
“Tho’ sometimes He leads thro’ waters deep,
Trials fall across the way,
Tho’ sometimes the path seems rough and steep,
See His footprints all the way.
“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus – Sweetest name I know,
Fills my every longing, Keeps me singing as I go.”
In the darkest night, in the depths of despair, God gave an inward song to Luther Bridgers that has blessed millions. Out of a pit of grief came a song of blessing, because He knew Jesus by the name of Wonderful Counselor.
Whatever it is that you’re enduring right now, Jesus is your Wonderful Counselor. Rather than fight the problem, recognize that the zeal of the LORD is accomplishing His purpose in you, so every name of Jesus becomes the sweetest name you know.
Pastor John
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