And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)
Wonderful is one out of 256 names for Jesus Christ. How often do we ponder how wonderful our Savior is to us? Wonderful is not only a title, but it also describes his nature as well. The word “wonderful” means it is above all that is ordinary, it is unique and different. It is something that is in a class by itself.
The word wonderful appears in ninety-nine different verses in the NLT and with only a few exceptions the word is used to describe the acts or deeds of God. In Isaiah 9:6 Wonderful is a title or name ascribed to Jesus. Some translations use it as an adjective combined with Counselor, but the NKJV separates Wonderful and Counselor with a comma.
Whether or not He is Wonderful or the Wonderful Counselor, it is a very apt description of not only what He does, but of who He is. Meditate for a moment on these words from Isaiah 25:1, “I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.” The word wonderful itself describes a wonder, a miracle, a marvelous thing, and astounding thing which causes a feeling or attitude of intense amazement.
Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful. Psalm 69:16 (NLT)
Everything about our Savior is wonderful. How often do we set everything else aside and take the time to consider his wonderfulness?
God Is Wonderful
I love to sing when I am alone, in the car, in the shower and sometimes even on my bicycle. Often, a word or a thought will remind me of a song which in turn will remind me of another song and on it goes. A couple of days ago in the shower I began to sing, “Isn’t He Wonderful?” That in turn led to, “Wonderful, Wonderful, Jesus Is Me” and then “His Name Is Wonderful.” I began to contemplate just how wonderful the Lord has been to me. I began to think about the wonder and glory of God.
How does the understanding that God is wonderful impact us in our everyday life? We know that He is wonderful because the Scripture tells us that it is so and also because we have experienced His wonderful kindness, grace, and mercy, but how often do we take the time to just bask in wonder and amazement in the presence of our God?
In ministry specifically, but also in life generally if we are not deliberate in our worship and devotion it is highly probable that the pressures and demands of life will crowd out our time of simply sitting in the presence of Jesus and being in awe of who he is and how wonderful is his love toward us.
Childlike Wonder
Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:2–3 (NLT)
When we observe children exhibiting their natural curiosity and wonder, it should remind us of the great danger of cynicism and complacency. If in our spiritual journey we begin to take an attitude of “been there, done that,” we should take it as a warning sign.
Maintaining a wonder and awe for God, and the things he has created serves as a great inoculation against sin. The marriage relationship serves as an example for how Christ loves us, his church. After 40 years of marriage, I am more in love with my wife than ever before. I only have eyes for her. As long as we are still in awe that God loves us, we won’t go astray.
Remember, the forces of evil, not to mention our own carnal nature, are aligned against us in an effort to take away our childlike wonder. Cynicism is a tool of the devil to rob us of our joy. God’s wonders are all around us, and sometimes we need to slow down and appreciate the marvel and wonder of all that he has made.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Psalm 8:3–4 (NLT)
Of course, in addition to the marvels of creation, we remember that God’s Spirit tells our spirit that we are his children. What a wonderful thought!
The Wonder of It All
Spending time in the presence of our Wonderful Savior should be something quite different than our study, sermon, or lesson preparation or even times of prayer. I would never minimize or demean any of those activities, but they are not a substitute for simply spending time in worship and adoration. Others may not understand your apparent inactivity and even mischaracterize it as being lazy or unconcerned that there are others who are diligently working. You may recall, this was Martha’s complaint against Mary.
Martha perceived that Mary was neglecting her responsibilities, and this caused great anxiety for Martha, but Jesus proclaimed that Mary had chosen “what is better.” Martha was not concerned about frivolous or impractical things, but she did not recognize the priority of spending time with Jesus, simply sitting in adoration at his feet.
Have you spent time recently delighting yourself in the presence of the Lord, putting him before any other cares or concerns? I will leave you with the words to a song made popular by George Beverly Shea. The chorus says, “O, the wonder of it all! The wonder of it all! Just to think that God loves me. O, the wonder of it all! The wonder of it all! Just to think that God loves me.”
Steve Ekeroth
Photo by Steve Ekeroth: (Japanese Friendship Garden, San Diego, 2025)