There’s nothing like meditating on God’s Word, to remind us of everything Jesus means to us, and to get into the true CHRISTmas spirit! This Bible journaling tutorial on Isaiah 9:6 does just that. It’s a reminder of who Jesus is, and the hope we have in him!
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I’ve been wanting to do a Bible journal on Isaiah 9:6 for several years, y’all…and this year, I finally did it! There’s just something about Isaiah’s descriptive prophecy, and the names he ascribes to Jesus—Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace—that makes it one of my favorite Christmas Bible verses.
Meditating on this amazing description of Jesus Christ, really helps me get into the TRUE Christmas spirit. You know, it’s easy to get excited about the fluff of the holidays (lights, presents, food, etc.), but sometimes it can be a struggle to focus on the REAL reason for the season: Jesus! And I think studying and reviewing the Scriptures about Jesus’ coming can really help with that. At least, it does for me!
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.
Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
Just thinking on what these ‘names’ really mean, a lot of things come to mind:
- Wonderful Counselor: I LOVE this! It’s a reminder that Jesus is our friend, just as he said in John 15:15. And also, he’s our guidance counselor, our teacher, and our mentor. Through his example, we learn how God wants us to live!
- Mighty God: Jesus said in Matthew 19:26 that “with God all things are possible”. And Jesus being the very Son of God, that applies to him too! This name especially brings to mind the story in Mark 4:35-41 where the disciples were afraid of the storm, and there was Jesus sleeping right through it. When the disciples woke him in a panic, he calmed the storm like it was nothing! And the disciples said in awe “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mighty God, that’s who!
- Everlasting Father: John 1:1-3 says that Jesus (the Word) has been with God from the beginning, and “through him all things were made”. When Jesus says that he will always be with us (Matthew 28:20), we can trust that he truly will!
- Prince of Peace: And finally, Jesus came to offer us a priceless gift: forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and the PEACE that comes only from knowing God. Just like he says in John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
What do you think of, when you ponder these names of Jesus? What resonates with you most? I encourage you to use Bible journaling as a means of studying and recording your insights.
Isaiah 9:6—Bible Journaling Tutorial
So, for the actual journaling page, I wanted to simply list each name, so I could meditate on and remember them throughout the Christmas season (and beyond!).
I started with a (now retired) stamp set from Sweet’n’Sassy stamps, and since that set only include ‘Everlasting Father’ and ‘Prince of Peace’, I hand-lettered my own versions of ‘Wonderful Counselor’ and ‘Mighty God’. And just for you, I made a traceable that includes all four names! Check out the video tutorial, and download the traceable HERE.
SUPPLIES:
Don’t forget to download the FREE Bible journaling printable, with each of the names of Jesus (Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace)! You can use it however you like, with or without the same supplies and techniques I used here. But if you do want to try some of the same Bible journaling supplies I used, here they are…
- Download your FREE Isaiah 9:6 traceable HERE
- Faber-Castell Gelatos (I used the Iridiscents II set, and the Metallics set)
- Ranger Mini Misters
- Scrapbook.com stars stencil
- Stencil ‘spouncers’
- Sweet’n’Sassy Stamps “O Holy Night” stamp set (this has the ‘Christ is born’ stamp I used at the top of the page)
- Delicata “Golden Glitz” metallic ink pad
- Essentials Faith stencil set (this has 12 stencil sheets and many different designs, including the crown text divider I used below the ‘Christ is born’ stamp)
- Glitter gel pens
- Tombow Twintone markers (the red one I used comes from the “Brights” set, and the green from the “Rainbow” set)
INSTRUCTIONS:
As always, you’re welcome to follow along with the exact steps I used, or use your own creative methods! That being said, if you do want to re-create the journaling page I did, here are the steps:
- ***Before you get started, I highly recommend applying clear gesso to the Bible page. It makes a big difference in strengthening the page, and preventing tearing, buckling, or bleed-through once you start adding paint and pen ink to the page. [Unless you’re using an Illustrating Bible, in which case the pages are thick enough that you probably won’t need gesso.]
- First, use your gelatos to create a background. I used the ‘Canary Diamond’, ‘Citrine’, and ‘Rose Quartz’ colors from the Iridescents II set. You could also use a paper cutout to cover the verse during all or part of your background painting, if you wish to have the verse look different from the rest of the page.
- Once your background color is done, use the stars stencil and an appropriate gelatos color to apply stars all over the page (I used the ‘Gold Champagne’ color from the Metallics set).
- If you like, you can add a baby Jesus/nativity scene stamp on the right side of the page, as I did.
- Next, start working on the words in the margin. I used the ‘Christ is born’ stamp from the “O Holy Night” stamp set (stamped in “Golden Glitz” ink), followed by a stencil from the Faith stencil set (colored in with silver glitter gel pen), and then the hand lettered names of Jesus in red Tombow Twintone marker (which you can use the traceable for, of course).
- Finally, if you want to go back over the words, and add some additional embellishment/emphasis, feel free. I went over the names of Jesus twice to darken them, colored them in with pink, and then I went back in over the top of the ‘Christ is born’ and added a bit of silver glitter gel pen inside the letters.
- Leave your finished Bible page open for at least a few days, so you can reflect on what these names of Jesus mean, and let it all sink into your soul. Simply appreciate everything that Jesus is to you, and to the whole world! HE is the REAL reason for the season!
What does Isaiah 9:6 mean to you? I hope that reflecting on this wonderful Scripture helps you get into a TRUE spirit of adoration and awe of Jesus’ birth, at Christmastime and all year long!
✨ If you enjoyed this tutorial, you might also like this Christmas Bible journaling tutorial on Luke chapter 2!
Hi! Thank you so much for visiting Divine Creative Love. I’m a Jesus-lovin’ girl, lettering artist, designer, and general creative-at-heart. And, I have narcolepsy. I blog about faith in God, overcoming challenges, and creative topics such as Bible journaling. If you’re new here, be sure and subscribe to my list so you won’t miss anything!