Wonderful Counselor

 ⁶ For a child has been born for us,
   a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
   and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Isaiah 9:6

This Advent I am spending time reflecting on the royal names given to the child in Isaiah 9:6 which we use to foreshadow who Jesus should/could be.

² The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
   the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
   the spirit of counsel and might,
   the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:2

Wonderful counselor,
as we rest a moment in your presence
as we wait for your coming
we invite your Spirit to rest on us

May your Spirit of wisdom and understanding come upon us
   we need your wisdom
   this week there has been so much that we don't understand
   we don't understand how powerful men can treat women as objects
   we don't understand how powerful men can use their position to hurt women
       to see them as object for their use
       to see them as not worthy of respect
       to see them as less than
Wonderful counselor may your Spirit of wisdom and understanding come upon us

May your Spirit of counsel and might come upon us
   there are so many decisions being made right now
   decisions about nuclear weapons
       where the language is ripe for misunderstanding
       may the counsel given be true, honest and open
   decisions about how economies work, who is taxed are being decided
       the decisions started for reason that seem to lake counsel
       donors want a tax cut and now there is not enough money for children to be ensured
       fear of lost jobs and identity lead to a vote that may hurt the very people who agreed to the vote
   decisions about who is allowed where
       there are so many people right now without a safe home
       people who had no choice but to flee their countries
       they need a safe place to live and thrive
        yet they are left waiting or pushed back
       there are so many refugees
          Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, the Rohinga, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo,   
          Sudan, South Sudan
Wonderful counselor may your Spirit of counsel and might come upon us

May your Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord come upon us
   it seems funny to ask that the fear of the Lord come upon us
   yet this fear is because it means you are present
   this is a fear that means awe, reverence, worship
   during this waiting season may we learn more about you
  during this time to expectation and pregnant pauses may we seek knowedge of you
  may we be swept up in wonder and awe
Wonderful counselor, may your Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord come upon us