To us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. —Isaiah 9:6. (NIV)
Back when I was in college, I visited a church one Sunday morning.
Following the service, a white-haired lady came up to me and asked if I had any place to go for dinner. I didn’t, so she invited me to her home.
She told me the address of her place, so I drove there. Even before I entered the house, I was impressed. It was a white two-story building with a nice long front porch. There was a door straight ahead as I ascended the stairs and a door to the left that entered the dining room area.
As I walked through the first door, immediately ahead was a winding staircase. I turned to my left, following her to the dining room where she invited me to sit. s she made her way back to the kitchen, I woke up. It was a dream. Or was it?
Approximately two years later, I had a job as a deliveryman. I made a delivery to the same house I had visited in my dream to the same lady who had invited me to dinner. I was so taken aback, I could hardly find my voice. It was obvious she did not know me, but she had that same infectious smile I had seen in my dream. To this day, I have no idea why this happened.
There is the story of a young man who was a writer. With pen in hand, he told about a young woman who was a virgin and yet conceived and gave birth to a son.
Sometime later, he noted that the son was born, and he went on to describe this child in detail, and even gave a list of names that people would call him. These titles were not nicknames—they were official and descriptive of his role, his character, and his mission.
I have wondered just how much this young man named Isaiah understood about what and whom he was writing. And did he realize that the fulfillment of his words would take place over seven-hundred years later?
Today, you and I look back on that blessed event, knowing the baby’s name was Jesus. That very name meant that he came to save his people from their sins. He is still doing that today.
So many times, when we write or say something, we have no idea how it will impact others, even generations yet unborn. Sometimes, we do not even understand the full extent of our words.
One of my college professors was about to receive his Doctor of Theology degree. He told my class it had taken him over sixteen years to complete it.
He said, “I have been to some of the most liberal and some of the most conservative seminaries in the world. I have seen and read it all. I’ve had all the options. But I want you to know that when I take this book, (he held up a well-worn Bible), and read it just as it stands, that’s when God comes through.”
I doubt that my professor had any idea of what those words meant to me. But I took them and put them into practice, and today that same principle is deeply woven into the woof and warp of my life. I encourage you to do the same as I pass it on to you. Merry Christmas!
O, and about the dream of the white-haired lady: I think I’ve figured out why I dreamed and then experienced it. It was so I could use it as a parable for this Blogspiration.
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