Word: Isaiah 12 (NLT)
In that day you will sing:
“I will praise you, O Lord!
You were angry with me, but not any more.
Now you comfort me.
2 See, God has come to save me.
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
The Lord God is my strength and my song;
he has given me victory.”
3 With joy you will drink deeply
from the fountain of salvation!
4 In that wonderful day you will sing:
“Thank the Lord! Praise his name!
Tell the nations what he has done.
Let them know how mighty he is!
5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things.
Make known his praise around the world.
6 Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy!
For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.”
Do you remember your parents being angry with you for something you did? Of course, some people had abusive parents, and that’s all they remember, that is, the anger. But in happier families there were those angry times as well, always followed by better times that told us as children, “My mom and dad aren’t angry anymore; they still love me!” And mostly, the memories of anger don’t frighten us, but offer just enough contrast to make the memories of love even sharper.
And so it was with ancient Israel and the King of All Nations. It was a new and wonderful day—a day of national victory, so with joy they drank deeply from his fountain.
But it was not enough for ancient Israel to celebrate their own victory; they were to share it with other nations: “Tell the nations what he has done!” If national pride, however, were based in its own native strength and prowess, then such boasting over victory would likely stir jealousy among nations, a sense of threat, a fear that such national boasting would lead to greed, entitlement, or a miscalculated sense of security.
If, on the other hand, national celebration is giving honor to the King of All Nations, then our nation is praising and honoring the King of all nations—of their king as well, so naturally they delight with us that we are honoring their king!
Not every nation knows who the King of All Nations is. Have we forgotten to tell them! Have we forgotten to celebrate with them! Was the Good News of his salvation ours to horde? Did we claim the victory as our own? If so, we have endangered world peace. But we know what to do to begin to repair this damage. . . .yes, just celebrate more the King of All Nations. Give him the glory and tell all the world! That’s all.
Prayer: O Lord, forgive our failure to acknowledge that it is you who has given us victory, who has blessed us, who is the source of all good that we as a people and nation enjoy. And because we have claimed too much credit, we have boasted mostly in ourselves. Forgive our national egotism. Give us a clean heart, boldness and willingness to celebrate your salvation with all the nations—all of your nations! Amen.
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