The government shall be upon His shoulder...

by Elizabeth Stewart

In this verse in Isaiah 9:6 we see Old Testament prophesy fulfilled as well as prophesy yet to be seen.  Over two thousand years ago, the angels rejoiced as a Child was born unto us.  On a specific day in human history the fullness of time came and the prophetic word came to pass.  Jesus Christ was born in the flesh.  We can now experience the reality of having a living and vital relationship with our Father God because of the coming of the Son of God on our behalf.  We can now enjoy having God as our Wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God, our Everlasting Father, our Prince of Peace.  But what about "the government shall be upon His shoulders"?  As evidenced by the recent divisive election here in the United States and the resulting unrest, we are still living in the painful "not yet" of that prophesy being fulfilled in our reality.

There will come a day, when Christ will return, not as a baby, but as a Mighty King.  He will come to planet earth, make the wrong things right, and restore and redeem God's beautiful creation.  The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ and He will reign forever and ever.  Hallelujah and Amen!  Our hearts long for that day, don't they?

And yet, while I long for Him to rule and reign on planet earth, how often do I still resist His rulership in me, in my life?  When He tells me to forgive those I'd rather hold on to offense toward, do I yield to His leadership?  When He tells me to humble myself, when I'd rather promote myself, do I obey Him?  When He convicts me of the way I spend my time or my money or my gifts and talents do I ignore His still, small voice?  When He urges me to be generous to others when I'd rather hoard things for myself, do I rationalize doing what I want instead of doing what He says?  I'm too often guilty of stubbornly clinging to my own ways in all of the above scenarios.  My point?  I long for the day when Christ rules and reigns in the nations, yet too often resist His rule and reign in my own life. The government of my life belongs to Him, not to me.  That transition happened when I asked Him to not be just Savior and forgive me of my sins, but when I asked Him to also be my Lord, the Ruler and Boss of my life.  So, while I long for the coming day when He rules and reigns on planet earth, my focus in this "not yet" season of waiting for that prophecy to come to pass must be on submitting to His rule and reign in the kingdom of my own willful heart. God's ways are always what is best for me.  As I submit to Him, I can always trust His perfect, loving and wise leadership in my life.

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