“And His name will be called . . . Mighty God” (isaiah 9:6).
Heavenly Father, indeed You were “in Christ reconciling the world unto [Yourself.]” The name Mighty God, is quite fitting, for the One who came to show Your face to a world dying in sin, and without hope. You are our Mighty God, One with Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, in whose Name we pray. Amen.
Let us look a litle deeper into this Name of the Savior
Mighty God. This is what Webster has to say about mighty adj. -i•er, -i•est 1. Having or showing great power, strength, skill, or force <a mighty speaker> <a mighty wind> 2. Imposing or awesome in size, degree, or extent <a mighty stone barricade> —adv. Informal. To a great degree: EXTREMELY. —Mightily adv. —Mightiness n. (Webster’s II, New College Dictionary, Third Edition).
(Hebrew) ’êl, shortened from; [’ayil]; strength, as adjective mighty; especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity):—God (god), ×goodly, ×great, idol, might (-y one), power, strong.
A masculine noun meaning God, god, mighty one, hero. This is one of the most ancient terms for God, god, or deity. It appears most often in Genesis, Job, Psalms, and Isaiah and not at all in in some books. The root meaning of the word mighty can be seen in Job 41:25[17] and Mic.2:1. This word is used occasionally of other gods . . . but is most often used to mean the one true God . . . It expresses various ideas of deity according to its context. The most common may be noted briefly: the holy God as contrasted to humans . . . the High God El . . .; the Lord (YHWH) as a title of Israel according to the Lord’s own claim . . . . This word is used with various descriptive adjectives or attributes: ’êl is God of gods (Ps 50:1); God of Bethel (Ge 35:7); a forgiving God (Ps 99:8). He is the holy God (Isaiah 5:16). Especially significant are the assertions declaring that ’êl is with us, Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14) and He is the God of our salvation (Isaiah 12:2); a gracious God (Nehemiah 9:31); a jealous God (Exodus 20:5; 34:14). Th closeness of this God is expressed in the hand of God (Job 27:11)” (Hebrew-Greek KEY WORD STUDY BIBLE, KJV, Old Testament Dictionary, emphasis supplied).
As I explored the significance of this name of God, I was so impacted by the fact that the very name of God, speaks of His might! A masculine noun meaning God, god, mighty one, hero. Yes my friends, the Mighty God, wrapped Himself in humanity and came to dwell among us! Yes! ’êl is with us, Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14) and He is the God of our salvation (Isaiah 12:2); a gracious God!
Imposing or awesome in size, degree, or extent <a mighty stone barricade>
Listen to David give praise for his MIghty God: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2).
Doesn’t that thought just blot out every feeling of fear and doubt, and loneliness? We are not alone facing this menacing virus, or broken relationships, or financial, or health, challenges, or the painful separation from those we have loved and lost, whether during this time or before! No! Our Mighty God is with us, and will be with us to the end! Hallelujah!
How do I know? Because when our darling firstborn, Julie, fell asleep in Jesus, He was with me as I stood beside that hospital bed and held her face in my hand, and promised her that I would “see her in he morning,” and that her son Mikey woul be with me. Then, I am sure it was the Mighty God, who lifted my hands and positioned me to face the wall, and begin a time of Thanksgiving. I thanked Him for the wonderful, wonderful, person that she was,; the wonderful daughter and friend, the wonderful sibling, the wonderful mother, the wonderful wife! I thanked Him for the years He had lent her to us, and for the love and joy she had brought us! And I just continued praising Him from the bottom of my broken, yet grateful, heart! I am convinced to this day, that it was that miraculous moment of thanksgiving, in the midst of my darkest moment and deepest pain, that the Mighty God held me close, and kept me alive!
Jesus said this, and it is still true: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority (power) has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18)! And with Him, nothing is impossible!
Is He in your life? If not, as we celebrate HIs birth, why not give Him your best gift – you? He gave us His best: His life was laid down, so that we could take ours up, and walk in newness of life! As the songwriter put it, “All He wants is you, no one else will do. Not just a part, He wants all of your heart, all He wants is all of you; all He wants is you.” You will never regret giving Him your all!
NOTE: This devotional is for Thursday, December 23. Because of an electrical outage, it was not completed and published on time.