Bible Meditations Archive

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

George Friderick Handel was a Christian musician who wrote a very famous piece of music: The Messiah. Written in 1741, Handel's Messiah is an oratorio, which means that a chorus of singers perform along with the instruments. The libretto (the words, or lyrics) of this piece of music are taken directly from the Book of Isaiah. I, like many other people, tend to associate the Christmas season with the song Handel wrote for Isaiah 9:6. Handel's more famous Hallelujah Chorus is often associated with Easter.

Every year I find myself humming along the same songs that have been a part of my life for so long. On Christmas I love the happy jingles, and on Easter Sunday I must replay my beloved Handel's Messiah to my heart's content.

But the topic of this mediation is inspired by my favorite song from Handel's Messiah: "Unto Us A Child Is Born." Here, the prophet Isaiah prophesizes the fore coming birth of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. Simultaneously, he exalts the attributes befitting only God himself. He leaves no doubt whatsoever that the Holy Trinity is encased in the person of Jesus. Isaiah calls Jesus Wonderful, Marvelous, Stupendous, and Awesome, which of course, He is.

When he calls Jesus "Counselor," Isaiah is referring to the Holy Spirit within Jesus. The One that Jesus promised He would send us as soon as soon as he ascends from this world and joins his Father in Heaven. The same Holy Spirit that Jesus promised would descend upon all who confess and accept him as their personal savior. "Almighty God" speaks of the Godhead, as does "Everlasting Father." "Prince of Peace" on the other hand, is associated with Jesus.

When I hear this song, I wonder, meditate and delight in all the greatness of our Almighty God. Even before I was born again, this song has always been a beautiful reminder of the greatness in this marvelous Lord I love and serve.

To all those beautiful feelings dwelling in my heart, a new one was added.

For it was on October 6, 2004 when I got to see and savor a very special blessing: the birth of my first grandchild. I was presented with the fruit of my womb's fruit. Our gracious Lord saw fit to grant me and many other loving relatives the unique gift of a brand new life for all of us to love, admire and ponder upon.

And ponder I did! Oh, God's creative power! How, after so many years, I was given the awesome opportunity to experience this unique event, the birth of an innocent child, one more time; this time through my daughter. It amazed and delighted me to contemplate firsthand the marvelous miracle of the birth of a new baby boy.

I thought: "Here is my first grandchild, Braeden Alexander. A most precious gift from the Lord to me and many others. And here is his tiny little body, still folded and shaped according to his previous encasing. Apparently so helpless, a little baby who does not seem to grasp the fact that he just changed residence. A tiny person who expresses his discontent with his new, imposing and somewhat hostile environment without fear of hurting people's feelings. Completely devoid of social concerns. He is pure, innocent and perfectly himself."

I now have a grandchild of my own! I always knew that grandchildren were special, especially the first. For a long time I observed other grandparents around me brag and proudly display their grandchildren's pictures to those who fail to get away from them in time to avoid it. I took notes in my head and said "I will never do that."

Well, I have recently learned many new things, including "never say never."

I discovered that we all are a mystery even to ourselves. We can not predict our feelings in a given situation. We can only imagine, but quite often imagination is far from reality. When I finally took my grandbaby in my arms, I became aware that a brand new, sweet, tender and sublime feeling that overtaken my heart. It surpassed anything I remember feeling, including my feelings when I first became a mother.

The miracle of a new life was in front of me one more time ... and this time I took it for all it really is: a miracle! This time I sensed God's personal, loving and unique workmanship in a very real and joyous way. I could feel God's tenderness as he formed and shaped Braeden's tiny little body in his mother's womb. I could sense His infinite wisdom as He perfected it. Here it is: the ultimate working machine: the human body. A true work of art indeed! Not to be duplicated by human effort, wish or design, try as they may.

This leaves me to ponder and ask myself: Who but our Mighty God could accomplish such a task? The same Almighty and powerful God who created the heavens and earth and all that is on it, shaped Braeden's little body, the same God that created you and me. The same loving God sent his only begotten Son to die a horrible death on Calvary so that we would be made acceptable to Him and not be deprived of our company for eternity. He did all that so that you and me could be made His sons and daughters. He sacrificed his Son so He could have what He always wanted: a real family, intimate fellowship with His creation. He created us so He could enjoy Himself watching us partake of all the wondrous, unimaginable, magnificent things ... things no one has ever seen, nor ear has ever heard, nor has come into man's imagination are the delights He has prepared for us who love Him. All this was created by Him even before the foundation of the world.

Who can promise and deliver anything close to this to us all? No one I know of but our one and only God. An offer readily available to us all who voluntarily accept his son, Jesus Christ, as their personal Savior, Lord and Master!

In this impersonal, selfish, avaricious and extremely egocentric time we are living, when good things are called bad and bad are called good, a time when "every man for himself" appears to be the prevalent philosophy informing man's behavior, I can't help but marvel: What an offer! What a deal! Who on earth or heaven could possibly offer us a better one?

I can't think of any, can you?