Isaiah 12 THE Message
My Strength and Song
12 And you will say in that day,
“I thank you, God.
You were angry
but your anger wasn’t forever.
You withdrew your anger
and moved in and comforted me.
2 “Yes, indeed—God is my salvation.
I trust, I won’t be afraid.
God—yes God!—is my strength and song,
best of all, my salvation!”
3-4 Joyfully you’ll pull up buckets of water
from the wells of salvation.
And as you do it, you’ll say,
“Give thanks to God.
Call out his name.
Ask him anything!
Shout to the nations, tell them what he’s done,
spread the news of his great reputation!
5-6 “Sing praise-songs to God. He’s done it all!
Let the whole earth know what he’s done!
Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, O Zion!
The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Surely God is My Salvation
It is great to be reminded that we have salvation through Jesus.
In Isaiah 12, the promised Messiah, Jesus, had not yet come to earth.
However, the people of God believed Him at His Word.
The Lord used many prophets to speak truth into hard situations and to share about the coming Savior.
Isaiah was one of these prophets.
In Isaiah 12, Isaiah writes a song of praise after Isaiah 11 just shares about the coming Messiah.
The Israelites were well aware that they were sinful and rebellious people.
This start to Isaiah 12:2 “Surely” is a confidence that the promised Messiah would be coming and their faith in the Lord who had a redemption plan to cover their sins once and for all.
I Will Trust and Not Be Afraid
The Israelites were a fearful people.
Soon after their release, many of them wanted to go back to slavery in Egypt in the difficulty of escape, many of them did not trust in God and took matters into their own hands, and many of them lived out of fear and not faith in the Lord.
In this time, Isaiah is reminding the people of their anchor in the Lord.
The Prophet Isaiah now encourages us still today to place our trust in the Lord because He is our Peace, we do not have to be afraid when we are resting in Him.
Our momentary trials and hardships might be extremely painful and difficult, but we can get through knowing that the Lord is with us and we have eternal security in Heaven because of Jesus.
We can each declare this in our own lives today, “I will trust and not be afraid.”
The LORD, the LORD Himself Is My Strength and My Defense
When LORD is mentioned in all caps, it is referring to the proper name of God, YHWH.
We as believers agree with Isaiah’s statement that God, our God Himself, is our strength and our defense.
He helps us to move forward but also protects us from the attacks of the enemy.
He is the perfect sacrifice from eternal separation from the Lord.
When we undergo spiritual attacks from the enemy, His Spirit within us strengthens and empowers us to stand steadfast and firm not in our own strength but in leaning on God’s strength and God’s immovable promises.
In what ways do we need to be reminded God is our strength and our defense?
He is fighting for us, and He is guarding us.
I love how we know that it is the Lord who holds the victory, and we are His beloved children.
Even when the war seems to tarry, our Savior reminds us of His everlasting presence and His power in the midst of the battle.
We can have eternal mindsets with the help of His Spirit.
He Has Become My Salvation
More valuable than a temporary victory is the fact that when we place our faith in Jesus, He has become our forever salvation.
This is eternal security.
This is forever hope and confidence of life with Him in heaven.
I love how Isaiah begins and ends this verse with this truth.
He is reminding us twice that our story, our lives, begin and end with God.
He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, Beginning and the End.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Is Jesus your salvation?
If you have never accepted this gift through His death and resurrection, ask Him into your heart today.
When He is our salvation, we have full victory in Christ.
In what ways has it been difficult for your trust to mature in God right now?
How can this verse remind you not to be afraid and to fully rely on Him?
How does this verse remind you not to be afraid and to fully rely on Him?
How has the Lord been a strength and defense on your behalf in the past?
How does this ancient passage give you encouragement that He is fighting for you now and in the future?
If you were to sit down and write a song of who Jesus Christ is in your life ….?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 The Message
16 1-2 Keep me safe, O God,
I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!”
Without you, nothing makes sense.
3 And these God-chosen lives all around—
what splendid friends they make!
4 Don’t just go shopping for a god.
Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
like brand-names.
5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
And then you made me your heir!
7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.
9-10 I’m happy from the inside out,
and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
that’s not my destination!
11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
I’m on the right way.
Heavenly Father, you are the Author of our Salvation. It is by your Hand that we have received deliverance and to you, dear God should be all praise and glory, for it is your divine plan for mankind that rescued us from terrible peril and made us co-heirs of your Heavenly Kingdom, alongside our Messiah Jesus Christ in Whom we repose complete faith and trust. Jesus has promised eternal life and a place in heaven which he will prepare, for all who are beneficiaries of your grace, by their faith in Christ.
We find rest for our soul when we live by your Holy Word, Lord, for only you can offer us refuge and sanctuary. With you, nothing is impossible When the going gets too tough, we turn to you for peace and protection, comfort and assurance, and we find it, for your promises to us are unshakable and all we ask for in Jesus’ Name, is readily granted to those who believe.
Our trust is in you Lord, for you are unchangeable and omniscient, the very foundation of our strength, for you have uplifted us, filled us with your Holy Spirit, and we are fortified and unafraid of evil machinations. For with you as our Father, we need have no fear and can worship, offer songs of praise for being in the ranks of the righteous. We surrender to you, consecrating our lives to you, in Jesus’ Name.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 