Focus: The Wonderful!

Text: Isa.9:6

"And his name shall be called… Wonderful..."

The name of Jesus Christ is WONDERFUL. For Israelites, a name reveals someone's identity, nature and character. It distinguishes one person from another. A person is known by his name. Jesus Christ is Mr. Wonderful. He is Mr. Emmanuel. He is Mr. Yeshua. Everything about Jesus Christ is a wonder. 

The word 'wonderful' is pele' in Hebrew, and it means simply a miracle. It is something that dazzles and marvels. It takes one's breath away. It is beyond what the human mind can fathom. It beggars the mind and staggers the imagination. It is something great, unique, unusual, notable or outstanding. It is not ordinary, but strange and remarkable - something to be distinguished from the normal or usual occurrences of life. Miracle is God's usual, but as far as man is concerned, it is the unusual. God's normal acts become miracles to us.

God Himself is a miracle, both by His very being and by His doings. His words and works are miracles. Christ was wonderful in the way He lived, in the way He talked and taught, in the way He prayed and preached, in the way He handled cases and situations, in the way He took charge of tight-corner scenarios, in the way He carried Himself and cared for others, and in the way He related with and treated people.

The Father is wonderful. The Son is wonderful. The Holy Spirit is wonderful. Moses sang, "Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, DOING WONDERS?" (Ex.15:11). God, Christ, or the Spirit is not only wonderful, but also, He works wonders. The psalmist says, "Thou art the God that doest wonders…" (Ps.77:14). Isaiah declares, "This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working" (Isa.28:29). Did you get that? "Wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working." In His words and works God is wonderful and excellent. Yes, God is mighty in words and in deeds! What He says and does are altogether wonderful.

Miracles are God's mirrors; He makes Himself manifest through them. Whenever and wherever God demonstrates His power and displays His wisdom, there and then miracles occur.

We see God through His miracles. Being the Wonderful One, He shows who He is by the wonders and miracles that He does. All round, God is wonderful. He is wonderful in His ways and workings. He wonderfully guides and cares for us.

Miracles are beyond human capabilities, and for that, we become amazed and thrilled by them. Whenever and wherever miracles happen, God is always behind them. He is the only worker of miracles. If God is missing in any miraculous occurrence, then that miracle is fake - a lie and a deceit in the name of miracle. The evidential character of a miracle is what makes it a miracle, not just the material reality or factuality of it. By a miracle man experiences either God's care and compassion or His discipline and judgment.

Most miracles are marvels of divine love and marvels of divine mercy. They strike us with awe and they happen in ways that seem unbelievable. When they happen, we find ourselves standing outside of own ourselves, beholding the mystery, majesty and might of our God. Hallelujah! When miracles happen, God is simply being God. He is making manifest his God-ness to us.

God works wonders for those who are living, not for the dead. The psalmist says, "Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah" (Ps.88:10). In verse 12, he says, "Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?" (Ps.88:12). 

I thank God that you are alive in the land of the living. You are the next in line for a miracle. Get set to testify of miracles in your life. Not only will miracles happen to you, but also, God will use you to work miracles in the lives of others. Like Isaiah, you will be able to say, "O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things…" (Isa.25:1). You will see the wonders of Christ in your life, in your family, in your nation, and in the world at large. Matthew records, "And when the chief priests and scribes SAW the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David…" (Mt.21:15). 

His name shall be called Wonderful, and as Mr. Wonderful, He does wonderful things. As our Emmanuel, God is among us. As our Yeshua, God is our salvation. As the Wonderful, God does wonders in us, for us, and by us. Our response to the wonder of God is worship. Miracles make us marvel at God, who is Himself miracle personified. Call Christ by His name - the Wonderful!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter