God with us - Week 38: Isaiah 12:2
I think my Skybox is trying to tell me something!
I may be alone in this, but I take great satisfaction in going through all the recordings on our Skybox, deleting the watched programmes, removing unnecessary series links, and watching the memory capacity increase.
Yes, I know I need to get a life!
Over the past year, a strange thing has kept occurring. No matter how many times I tell the Skybox to delete the series link, it still keeps recording Songs of Praise!
Every single week!
Now, if you are a lover of Songs of Praise, then please don't be offended. I just associate it with my Mum's love for Aled Jones and Sunday night telly in the seventies.
It's not really my thing.
I must have recorded it at some point when it was based at the Salvation Army, and I thought I might know someone, but now it just keeps recording.
I'm not the kind of Christian who sees this as some kind of sign from God, equivalent to His ability to find me a parking space when I pray, but it did make me think!
How much praising do I actually do?
Maybe I need regular reminders to praise.
(I'm still not convinced I need to watch Songs of Praise to fulfil my praise quota, but we'll see what happens this week !)
I skimmed my prayer journal, thought through my week, and recognised the odd bit of thanksgiving, requests for forgiveness, and intercession for others, but not a lot of praise.
Then I landed on this week's Scripture, "A Song of Praise for the Redeemed," as it's described in the Passion Translation. In other translations, this song of praise in Isaiah 12 is entitled "My Strength and Song," but the idea of a song for someone like me, broken but redeemed through Jesus, resonated deeply with me.
This week's focus is on verse 2, but look at these words of praise from Isaiah 12.
1 In that day you will sing,
"I praise you, Lord Yahweh,
for even though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
and now you tenderly comfort me.
2 Behold—God is my salvation!
I am confident, unafraid, and I will trust in you."
Yes! The Lord Yah is my might and my melody;
he has become my salvation!
3 With triumphant joy you will drink deeply
from the wells of salvation.
4 In that glorious day, you will say to one another,
"Give thanks to the Lord and ask him for more!
Tell the world about all that he does!
Let them know how magnificent he is!"
5 Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done marvellous wonders,
and let his fame be known throughout the earth!
6 Give out a shout of cheer;
sing for joy, O people of Zion,
for great and mighty is the Holy One of Israel
who lives among you!
Isaiah 12:1-6
It's the intimacy in this song of praise that strikes me.
You were angry with me, Lord, rightfully so, but you forgave and redeemed me.
You comforted me in my darkest moments, and you are my salvation.
I can move forward trusting that you are with me, "my might and my melody."
As someone who has been forgiven much, I relate to all these words, but this week my focus is to live a life that praises the Lord and shouts what He has done for me.
Join me in a week of praise and thanksgiving to our might and our melody.
Kay Moorby
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