The prophet continues ... Isaiah chapter 12:
Then you will say on that day, "I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord; for though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou dost comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation." Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation. And in that day you will say, "Give thanks to the Lord, and call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; make them remember that His name is exalted." Praise the Lord in song, for He has done excellent things; let this be known throughout the earth. Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.I don't have a whole lot to say about this chapter, really, except to note the obvious: for the believer, despair is never justified. Not that we're supposed to be all smiley and happy-clappy all the time; God promises us plenty of trouble in this world, and trouble is something that you suffer, not celebrate. We do have an assurance, though, that troubles eventually reach an end. And it's always cheering to read a prophet's picture of troubles coming to an end. God is true, and faithful, and merciful; and all of those are reasons for confidence on our part.
1 comment:
I'm gonna argue with you today, my friend - but only because you touched on something that the Holy Spirit opened up for me a few months ago.
I agree that God promises us trouble, and he keeps all His promises. But I can't go here with you:
"trouble is something that you suffer, not celebrate."
In the Beatitudes, Jesus told us to "rejoice and be glad" when we are persecuted and insulted and lied about because of Jesus. (Matt 5:10-12)
The best actual example of this, I think, is in Acts 5:40-1:
"... after calling the apostles in, they [the council] flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they [the apostles] went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name."
I won't pretend that I rejoice in suffering for His name, but I hope to someday.
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