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
Singing ripples through these verses. The speaker gives thanks and calls for singing and shouting aloud. The commands cascade: give thanks, make known, proclaim, sing praises, shout aloud, and sing for joy. Singing “Joy to the World” and other familiar Advent and Christmas chorales resonates with these commands.
Singing is coupled with trust and not being afraid. What is there to fear? Verse 1 has provided one context for fear, namely, enduring the “anger” of God. The prior chapters in Isaiah also document reasons for the “anger.” The marvel is that God has turned away from “anger.” God moves from anger to comfort. Thus, God becomes the speaker’s salvation—the basis for trust and not fearing.
The summons to singing and thanksgiving are placed “on that day.” The present has room for distrust and fear and hence the injunction to call on God’s name along with abundant singing. Petition and doxology are joined.
Prayer
You are in our midst. Lead us to trust and sing. Amen.
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