“And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2 KJV).”

I saw the Spirit of Counsel and Might in my back yard this month!  Where?  In a new garden of all places!

My three year old grandson David wanted to help his daddy plant a garden. The picture he had in mind was to push a seed into the ground with his finger and have a watermelon by sundown. Well, that didn’t happen, but he had great HOPE that it would!

Little David wanted a new garden, he expected a garden, he envisioned a garden full of fruits and vegetables, and he was willing to work as much as any other three year old.

His daddy (my son) wanted to plant a new garden, too. He expected a garden, envisioned a garden, and was willing to throw his back into it.

But Daddy knew it would take more than a thumb hole and a watermelon seed to produce a garden full of fruits and vegetables. And he knew it wouldn’t happen in a day.

Daddy got a pick axe from the garage and threw his back into breaking up the stubborn sod in the back yard. Hard work? Rather grueling, I think.

Little David wanted to help. Daddy counseled his little son on how gardens work. They both had the same goal, the same expectation, and Daddy had good counsel on how to prepare soil, plant seeds, and nurture life to grow a good garden.

But Daddy had something else–MUSCLES.  Yep, Daddy had the MIGHT to back up his counsel. So when it came time to begin a new garden, father and son worked side by side, Daddy with the heavy pick axe, and son with the little red shovel. Both of them worked hard for a while until David realized that the sand in the sandbox was easier to move than the garden soil and off he went. But Daddy called him back easily with a dangling worm and David squealed with delight as it wiggled in his hand.

This is the example of the Spirit of Counsel and Might.

You and your Father God have equal expectations–the future “garden” or future destiny that you both see for your life and you both agree will be great!

You think it will happen one way, but Father God is full of counsel and he shares that counsel with you. It doesn’t seem like much fun and the wait will be hard.

In the end, how much do you think your little red shovel will actually DO in the building of this garden? Very little.

But what Father God is after is not your hard work. He wants you to believe that He knows what He’s doing. He wants you to listen to His counsel.

He doesn’t expect much power from your little red shovel. He already knows that you have limitations. Father God delights in working side by side with you and He cherishes the thought of time spent together. He gives you counsel on how it works and then HE THROWS HIS MIGHT INTO HIS DREAM FOR YOUR LIFE!

Little David needed his daddy’s counsel.

He needed his daddy’s might and muscle.

Daddy needed David’s fellowship.

The Spirit of Counsel and Might at work.

Selah.