DEVOTED TO PRAISE
Opening Prayer
I praise you Father; indeed you love me with a love beyond measure, you bless me infinitely more than I deserve, and your plans for me are far greater than I can imagine.
Read ISAIAH 12
Songs of Praise
12 In that day you will say:
“I will praise you, Lord.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense[a];
he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
4 In that day you will say:
“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 12:2 Or song
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘Blest be the everlasting God, the Father of our Lord; be his abounding mercy praised, his majesty adored.’1
Think Further
I recently attended a Praise Gathering, with a four-hundred-strong choir singing praise songs. In a troubled world, it might seem self- indulgent for hundreds of Christians to devote hours to enjoying themselves in a night of praise. Isaiah 12 inserts itself into a very troubled story. It reminds us that sometimes it’s right to set aside everything else that could rightly occupy our time and focus purely on celebrating God’s goodness. The passage sparks thoughts of the song of Moses, Mary’s song, and psalms of praise,2 extravagant expressions of thanks for God’s intervention and victory. This song is sung, ‘In that day’ (v. 1), the day when God’s promises are seen to come to fulfillment. The day when justified anger is blessedly now turned away and replaced by comfort; when peace is established, a permanent peace, because the Lord himself is Savior and Defender. God’s ‘salvation’ (vv. 2, 3) is the great theme: salvation that provides an antidote to fear, a defense against enemies, and a fullness of joy.
We continually need reminders of salvation. Baptism, communion, and Christian fellowship (modeling God’s forgiveness and love) are just three. Communion is both a reminder to us and a proclamation of the Lord’s death to others. Praise is never solely internal. If the Holy One of Israel is among us it begets an overspill of praise. What God does in Zion does not stay in Zion! It becomes a witness to all nations, calling others to join in exalting him (vv. 4, 5). When others seek to demean God and the church, our call is to witness to our experience of him and to talk up the way we have been blessed by his people. We must not be quiet about what God has done. Our role is to make his greatness known, way beyond the bounds of his people.
Apply
How can you encourage other believers to praise and non- believers to hear about God’s great works?
Closing prayer
God of my salvation, thank you for the ever-present reminders of your power, love, and faithfulness that give me assurance and hope for today, tomorrow, and eternity.
1 ‘Blest be the everlasting God,’ Isaac Watts (1674-1748) 2 Deut 32; Luke 1:46–55
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