Isaiah 12:1-6
Saturday, 02 March 2024
And in that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You;…..” -Isaiah 12:1
The reading today is an outpouring of praise as a response to the prophetic utterance of Isaiah in Chapter 11 about the coming Messiah –
· The One in whom dwells the fullness of every good thing [11:2]
· The One who is the righteous judge [11:3-5]
· The One who will herald in global peace [11:6-8]
· The One in whom the Gentiles will find rest [11:10]
· The One who redeems His people [11: 12]
For all that the Messiah was to do, the prophet writes this ‘Hymn of Praise’ a response from the Jews for their salvation.
What would our response be to the One who gave His all for us? Would we be people with thankful hearts, blessing the LORD for all that He has done for us and will do for us?
Here are some ways we could show our gratitude just as the Israelites did:-
I. Praise Him (V.1)- The one reason we can praise Him is because He is no longer angry with us for all the sins we have done. God provided us a way to be delivered from the clutches of sin and Satan. He has poured out His compassion on us by sending His Son and our Saviour who faced the punishment for all our sins. As 1 Thess. 5: 9 NLT says “For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.”
II. Declare His deeds (Vs.4&5)- For the goodness and mercy that Israel received from God, they are called to declare His deeds of power and deliverance to the world. This is not only true for Israel but for every believer in Jesus Christ.
So, what are we to declare? –that God “…. has become my salvation” (V.2) Here are some things we received from God through our Salvation, we can declare:
· He has given us the gift of eternal Life in Christ Jesus – Rom. 6:23
· We become His workmanship to do good works prepared by Him- Eph. 2:10
· We have peace with God – Rom 5:1
· We have confidence to enter God’s throne room to receive grace and mercy – Heb. 4:16
· His blood cleanses us from every sin – 1 John 1:9
· He has given us the gift of His Spirit –Rom. 5:5-8
· He is preparing a home for us, and will come back to take us home – John 14:1-3
Oh! How much we can declare of all the wonderful benefits of our salvation. Words are not enough to tell of all His mighty acts!!
III. Sing to the Lord (V.5) – Right through the Scriptures we read about spontaneous songs of praise that rang out from the lips of men and women who saw the hand of God work on their behalf.
Be it Miriam after they crossed the Red Sea or Samson after killing the Philistines with a jaw bone, the Israelites when they found a well in the wilderness or Moses and Joshua who sang the goodness of God, the many Songs of worship sung by David or the New song that is right now being sung in heaven by the elders and the living creatures – the Bible is punctuated with songs of worship and gratitude to our God.
Even today, believers unite in one Voice to lift the Lord’s name with great joy and gladness. This song does not end with our earthly journey. God is preparing for Himself a “Heavenly Choir” who will be singing at the Wedding of the Lamb. Until then the Prophet exhorts us to “drink deeply from the wells of salvation” (V.3)- meaning he wants us to dwell deeply in God’s joy, truth, power, love, and glory, so as to not lose our way in this earthly wilderness until we reach our Heavenly Abode.
Quote for the Day: “He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.” Deut. 10:21
Listen: 'Praise'