Ruth
I accepted Christ as my Savior in college. In the years that followed, I became a diligent student of Scripture and even earned a Master’s in Christian Studies. I memorized dozens of verses along the way, Isaiah 9:6 among them.
One December day, while rereading the Book of Isaiah, a familiar verse rose from the page and struck my heart in an unexpected way. “For 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.”
A tremor moved through me. Goosebumps chased up my forearms. My eyes stung with a heat I couldn’t reason away. It was as if the words rearranged themselves and pressed in close. The One called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace was born to us as a child.
Is that even possible?
That question tore out of me, soft and raw. The Creator of the universe chose to enter the world as a helpless baby. The Almighty took on our limitations—hunger, tiredness, misunderstandings, persecution and death. The One who flung galaxies into their courses learned to steady His steps on wobbly legs. God drew near, not as an idea, but as a huggable presence.
Unbidden tears trickled down. My heart ached with a tenderness I hadn’t prepared for. Isaiah 9:6 shifted from verse to encounter, from doctrine to devotion. It has remained one of my favorite passages ever since.
That year’s awakening has woven its way into my writing. I explored it in Love Under Holy Skies (contemporary romance: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F362Q7T8) and it pulses through my work-in-progress, The Eclipsed System (slated for release in 2026). I keep returning to that moment because I need the reminder: God did not stay distant. He came low and near, taking on our frame to wash away our sins.
If Scripture feels familiar to you, perhaps this season is an invitation to slow your steps and meditate on the Bible verses again. Let Isaiah’s words sink into the marrow. For to us a child is born. To us a son is given. And in that child, the Word became flesh.
