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. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
(Isaiah 9:6–7)
I still remember the day in my junior English class when I saw an image of the Greek god Atlas holding the world on his shoulders. I identified with the mythological Atlas. Pressure to measure up socially, academically, and even as a Christian was like a physical weight I carried on my shoulders.
I’m sure you can relate. The demands of schoolwork and the burden to excel in sports or the arts can weigh you down. It’s hard to live up to the expectations of our friends, parents, coaches, teachers, and youth workers.
In addition to all this performance pressure, we now carry the Internet in our pockets. As a teenager, I didn’t have the kind of exposure you do to matters of social justice, environmental concerns, wars, politics, and more. When our feeds constantly remind us that things are not as they should be, we can become discouraged or anxious. It can feel as though it’s all up to us to solve the world’s problems.
Does it ever feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders?
The God Who Makes Promises
At the time Isaiah was writing, God’s people were feeling the weight of their circumstances and their sin. Israel had shamefully neglected to keep God’s laws, worshipping idols instead. Their land was filled with injustice, such as exploiting the vulnerable (Isaiah 1:17) and neglecting the poor (Isaiah 3:13–15). Their political leaders—kings like Ahaz—had failed them for generations, leading them deeper into idolatry and injustice. In Isaiah chapters 7 and 8, God tells his people to prepare for the darkness of exile: foreign nations will carry them off on account of their unfaithfulness.
Into this heaviness, the prophet Isaiah announced good news of a coming Savior (Isaiah 9:6).
The word government comes from the Hebrew word for dominion, reign, or struggle. It’s a royal term that speaks to the rule of a king. Isaiah proclaimed that a good and faithful King would bear Israel’s struggle. He would take the weight of the whole world on his strong shoulders so the Israelites wouldn’t have to carry it themselves.
The promised King’s reign would be one of peace and not of war. His government would be an everlasting one marked by justice (all things being made right) and righteousness (all people doing right).
This King has indeed come into our world to reign on David’s throne—Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. At Christmas, we remember how Jesus came as a baby to experience life in this broken world as we do. But Christmas also points us forward to the second coming of Jesus, when he will finally return to make all things right!
In our fallen sinfulness, we believe we can somehow prove ourselves by how we perform. Likewise, we sometimes imagine that we have the strength and power within ourselves to right the world’s wrongs. The reality is that we need a Rescuer, and we have one in Jesus. Because of Jesus, we can rest. We don’t have to carry the weight of the world—or of our lives—alone.
When you feel the pressures of life and the concerns of the world pressing in on you, remember that our God has come in the person of Jesus to carry your burdens. Jesus has rescued you through his life, death, and resurrection in your place. There is a day coming when the world itself will be remade, and then our Prince of Peace will fully establish the kingdom Isaiah promised so long ago. John depicts it this way:
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
(Revelation 11:15)
Questions for Reflection
- What pressures or concerns in your life feel like a heavy weight to carry around?
- How could you hand these things over to Jesus, your Burden-Bearer (Isaiah 9: 6 and 53:4)?
- According to Isaiah 9, how is Jesus’s kingdom different from the political kingdoms in our world today?
Closing Prayer
King Jesus, our Prince of Peace, thank you for taking the weight of the world upon your shoulders, and my sin and shame as well. Forgive me for trying to prove myself or for trying to solve the world’s problems on my own. Help me to trust in you until you return.
Excerpted from Longing for Christmas © 2024 by Rooted Ministry. Used with permission of New Growth Press. May not be reproduced without prior written permission.
Longing for Christmas
Longing for Christmas looks at twenty-five promises God made and fulfilled in the coming of Jesus. As we explore the way God has kept his promises, we can be encouraged that ALL of the longing we feel—for a better world and for things to be made right—will be fully met in Jesus.
