Amazing Grace : 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions

December 6 HIS NAME IS WONDERFUL Words and Music by Audrey Mieir, 1916– For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 KJV) More than 2,500 years ago, the prophet Isaiah told of One who would be the hope of mankind, the long awaited Messiah who would establish an eternal kingdom based on justice and righteousness. Isaiah’s important pronouncement told that this one would be a God-man: a child born—His humanity; a son given—His deity. The quintuplet of names ascribed to this One gives further insight into His character and ministry: • Wonderful— He would be wonderful in what He would accomplish for the fallen human race. • Counselor— He would be our guide through life, and our advocate before the heavenly Father. • The Mighty God— He would be the God before whom every knee shall one day bow. • The Everlasting Father— He would be the God of eternity. • The Prince of Peace— He would be the one who would ultimately bring a true tranquillity among all nations. Audrey Mieir has been widely known for several decades as the composer and author of many fine gospel songs and choruses. “His Name Is Wonderful,” written in 1959, is one of her finest. She tells in her biography how the inspiration for this song occurred while she watched the annual Christmas program given at her Bethel Union Church in Duarte, California. After the usual procession of angels, shepherds, Mary and Joseph, the singing of “sleep in heavenly peace,” the pastor of the church suddenly exclaimed—“His Name Is Wonderful.” Audrey Mieir tells that she quickly grabbed her Bible, searched the concordance for names given to Jesus in the Scriptures, and soon composed this song, which has since been sung around the world: His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful, Jesus, my Lord; He is the mighty King, Master of ev’rything; His name is Wonderful, Jesus, my Lord; He’s the great Shepherd, the Rock of all ages, Almighty God is He; bow down before Him, love and adore Him; His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord. For Today: Psalm 72:19; Proverbs 18:10; 22:1; John 1:12; Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9,10 The more intimately we know the “child-Son,” the deeper grows our love and devotion for Him. Worship Him even now and throughout the day with the singing of this song— Kenneth W. Osbeck, Amazing Grace : 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1990). 365.