Here Are My Thoughts

“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. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and uphold it with justice and with righteousness and from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” 

(Isaiah 9:6-7)

The section of Scripture above describes the event (and aftermath) that leads us to celebrate this time of year. What we commemorate this very night is exactly what the first line of this passage says-a child was born, a son was given. And not just any child or son, but Jesus. The Son of God. The Heaven-born Prince of Peace. God wrapped in human flesh. God with us.

But if you’re reading this, you probably already know all of that. Regardless of what you believe about it, you understand what Christmas is supposed to represent. You’ve heard the stories, you’ve sung the carols. You get it.

So this post isn’t meant to rehash the Christmas story, but to point out a little detail about the Scripture above that speaks to the certainty of Christmas, and what that says about our relationship with God. In other words, why Christmas is a sure thing…and what that matters for us.

Isaiah is a book of prophecy, containing the messages of the prophet (a messenger from God) spoken to the people of God. These are messages meant to provide both warning and hope, to speak to what is yet to come. Sometimes, the prophecies speak to events the original audience will encounter themselves-a warning of coming captivity or ruin, and a subsequent call to repentance. But often, and as is the case with this passage in Isaiah 9, these messages are telling of the coming of the messiah. This is the ultimate hope that God’s people have-that a king would come for them and make all things right and new.

The interesting thing about this particular passage is that it is written in the literary tense called prophetic perfect. This tense is used exclusively in Scripture to describe future events that are absolutely certain to happen. Even in the English translation of the Bible that you read, you can see this technique at work. Isaiah, who prophesied some 700 years before Jesus comes to earth, writes this passage as if the event is happening right now-as if Christ is being born at this very instant. He doesn’t say, “For to us a child will be born”, he proclaims, “For to us a child is born.”

This is a powerful concept to grasp in light of the story of Christmas. Through this passage and the way it is written, we see that God has had this plan in place for a long time. He always knew that He would send His Son to earth, putting into action his miracle of redemption. He always knew he would solve our sin problem. And God was so sure that it would happen, so confident in His own ability to act, that He spoke about it through His prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before it actually happened. Think about it-the event we celebrate tonight and tomorrow was proclaimed on earth almost 3000 years ago! Because of what we read and understand in this passage in Isaiah 9, we know that Christmas was a sure thing from the beginning.

But this understanding has a greater meaning for us than just Christmas. The fact that God can call His own shot 700 years in advance has far-reaching and fundamental implications for our faith. What the prophetic perfect teaches us as a whole is that when God says He will do something, He does it. He always backs up His words with action. To God, speaking is the same as doing. We’re reminded of this fact in Genesis, when God spoke the world into existence, and in Isaiah and at Christmas, when we see God follow through on what He said He would do long ago.

And we need to be reminded of that truth today. I don’t know where you are as you read this post-what life is like, the circumstances that you face, the struggles that you bear. Maybe your heart isn’t in the greatest of spots, maybe you’re running high on frustration and low on hope. Maybe things are ok right now, but the future is uncertain, even scary.

Wherever you are, and whatever you’re dealing with-may you rest right now in the absolutely certainty of your God. In whatever way you spend these next few days, may you find all the hope you could ever need in a Savior who always keeps His promises. Because over 2000 years ago, a child was born and a son was given, just as it had been spoken of 700 years before it happened. And that child and son is and forever will be the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. It’s certain. It’s happened. And it matters now for you and for me, because in Him is all our hope, rest, security, and future. All the good and bad of this world is insignificant compared to the glory and beauty of Jesus. So may we fix our eyes on Him, and believe in His redemption and ultimate deliverance for us.

Christmas was a sure thing because God is sure to follow through on what He says He will do. And if that was true for Christmas, it is true for you, right here, right now. God is not done with you. He’s begun a good work in you and He will complete it. Keep trusting Him. Hold on to faith in the One who is faithful, always. The certainty of God guarantees nothing in this life, but guarantees everything in the life to come. So we can always maintain hope. Because He does what He says He will do. His speaking is the same as His doing. He keeps His promises.

You may not see it yet, but it is absolutely certain to happen.

Merry Christmas,

-Brett