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. – Isaiah 9:6
So, in my eagerness to dig into all the wonderful titles of Jesus found in this verse, I skipped right over an important clause: “the government shall be upon his shoulder.”
Where to start? The first thing I think of is Jesus’ coming return, when He will rule on the earth. I believe Scripture tells of a time when Jesus will reign on earth. All enemies and other authorities will be conquered and put under His feet (Zechariah 6:12-13, 9:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Ephesians 1:21-22). John tells us in Revelation that Jesus will be ruling with a rod of iron (Revelation 2:27, 12:5, 19:15).
To me, this is a very exciting, hopeful picture. When Jesus comes back to rule, we will finally see all the corrupt, evil rulers of the world put in their place. All the injustices and compromises and hatefulness that grieve my heart will finally be done away with. I can hold on to this promise of a righteous ruler and pray for Him to come soon. Knowing Jesus will one day take care of these things in His perfect timing helps me to persist in living for Him when I’m discouraged by the unrighteous ways of the world.
I’m also comforted that the burden of doing this is on Jesus’ shoulder. I know this is going to be a little rabbit trail but hang with me. If Jesus is capable of bearing the burden of governing the whole earth, with all its billions of people (and He most definitely is), then He’s more than capable of taking care of my troubles in life. I sometimes hesitate before I take something to Him in prayer, thinking I should be able to deal with it myself and I don’t need to bother God with it. That’s silly. It’s also prideful. God wants me to take everything to Him, to lean on Him and not me own understanding. That’s how my faith grows stronger as I see Him working in my life.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV
Think About:
How does thinking of Jesus’ coming rule encourage or challenge you?
Do you hesitate to cast your burdens on Jesus' shoulders? Why?
Thank you Ann! This is one of Kendra's favorite verses I Peter 5:617 and song I Cast All My Cares Upon YOU by Salty the Songbook! I believe this compels us to begin our prayer with Praise to the One who created and keeps this universe functioning. Praise first puts the rest of our prayer in proper perspective!