Isaiah 12:2–6 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 12:2–6 on biblegateway.com
Verse 2Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. Verse 3With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Verse 4And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Verse 5Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Verse 6Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Devotion
There is so much to this beautiful reading, yet my own reflections seem small and inadequate. God is our salvation and our hope, and God is indeed worthy of our thanks and praise.
As Christians we are commanded to share the gospel. We are to make known God’s deeds among the nations and to proclaim God’s name. In this secular age, this commandment is exceedingly difficult for many of us. If we truly believe that God is our salvation, if we truly love and believe that God has done such glorious things, how can we not share our experiences? How can we keep this light hidden away when it is the very thing that has brought us life?
Sharing the love of God does not imply coercion. Those tactics do not work anyway. It means sharing our experience with those who do not know Jesus. It means publicly living out a Christian life. It means extending invitations, and it means welcoming those who come seeking. Like the prophet Isaiah says: Shout it aloud and sing for joy!
Prayer
Glorious God, our salvation and our hope, bless us with a generous spirit and the desire to share the good news about you. Give us courage and strength to enter the world and share your life-giving message with your creation. Amen.