Isaiah 12

Read Isaiah 12

The Lord had a settled plan to bring “comfort” to His people. The achievement of that decree required that His holy “anger” against His beloved children be “turned away.” Without yet explaining how this would come about, Isaiah wrote a great chorus of celebration for future generations to say and to sing. “The Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.”

The New Covenant would begin with the death and resurrection of the King of the church. While the church would have to wait for the culmination of God's perfect work in the return of Jesus, the years between the Lord's ascension and His second coming would be a time of sacrificial gospel proclamation. The good news would be preached not only to the Jews, but also to all the other people groups of the earth.

How would God's people endure through the challenges that would surely come as they brought the good news of the Messiah to the nations of the world? “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” The people of God would sing to Him with faith and they would reveal “His deeds among the peoples.” Through their testimony and their worship, the glorious works of the Lord would be “made known in all the earth.”

Though we still look for the grand fulfillment of God's eternal purpose, even now our Savior is with us. We have received the downpayment of the Holy Spirit sent forth to the church through the Father and the Son. By the Spirit's work in our souls we can “shout and sing for joy.” As followers of Jesus the Messiah, we are not ashamed to tell others the good news of our King. What Isaiah promised has already come to pass among the Lord's faithful witnesses: “Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

O Lord, we give thanks to You. You were angry with us, but Your anger has been turned away from us through the life and death of Your Son. We rejoice in Your mercy, O God, for You are with us. Your presence is our life. You are great in the midst of Your people.