ISAIAH 12:1-6 In that day you will say: “I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy one of Israel among you.”
What’s a person to do? That question usually has a negative connotation to it. It implies a bad situation. I remember an old commercial that said, “You’ve lost you money and all your credit cards–What will you do, what will you do?” The question implies a sense of despair: What’s a person to do?
What’s a Christian to do in the world today? This question could certainly be understood in a negative sense in light of what is going on. Immorality is the norm. False prophets are everywhere. We see a callous disregard for God’s laws, with people refusing to even admit that they are sinful. Every kind of perversion is not only tolerated, but encouraged. What’s a Christian to do?
While we may be tempted to despair, Isaiah gives us a different perspective. This entire passage is a powerful call to a positive outlook on life! He is referring to life in the time of the Messiah, the Savior. This is reinforced by the words telling us that God was angry with us, but His anger has been turned away. Why was God angry? The answer is obvious. We are not what He wants us to be. We do not do what He wants us to do. Stated simply, we sin. And since we have not done what God desires, He has every right to be angry with us. And yet God’s anger has been turned away because of Jesus Christ. God has provided for our salvation, our deliverance, our redemption. The anger that was directed at us was placed upon Christ, thereby turning it away from us. Because Jesus received the brunt of God’s anger, those who have faith in Him have been spared.
What’s a Christian to do? Isaiah gives an answer.
I WILL PRAISE YOU, O LORD. We will declare that God is the one who has spared us from His own anger. We will speak of how wonderful and great He is.
I WILL TRUST AND NOT BE AFRAID. You have been told all that God did for you in Jesus. He has shown Himself to be true to His Word, trustworthy in every respect.
WITH JOY YOU WILL DRAW WATER FROM THE WELLS OF SALVATION. Rejoicing should be the a natural result of knowing all that God has done for you.
GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD. Isn’t this something we all too often forget? It is so easy to take for granted the gifts of God, whether it be His greatest gift of salvation, or the commonplace gift of daily bread. Thanks to Him should not be slighted, but offered sincerely.
CALL ON HIS NAME. With all that God has done for us up to this point, He is not yet finished blessing us. He encourages you to call upon Him, making your wants and needs and desires known to Him.
MAKE KNOWN AMONG THE NATIONS WHAT HE HAS DONE. This message is too good to keep to ourselves. It has to be shared.
PROCLAIM THAT HIS NAME IS EXALTED. Isaiah is reminding us to praise the Lord for what He has done.
SING TO THE LORD. Music is a gift from God, one that can have a powerful, emotional effect. It is means to tell God how much we appreciated what He has done for us.
SHOUT ALOUD is yet another thing Isaiah exhorts us to do. This is the kind of shouting we do when we are overcome with joy, when we are so happy we feel like we will bust if we don’t let it out.
The anger of God, justly deserved, has been turned away from you. God provided His Son for this task. His death paid for sin. His resurrection assures you of eternal life. Through faith, you have in your possession the forgiveness of sins. So what’s a Christian to do? Praise, trust and don’t be afraid, be joyful, give thanks, call on His name, make known what He has done, proclaim His name, sing, shout aloud, sing for joy. Let’s do that!
