Isaiah 12

Isaiah 12:1-2 (ESV)

You will say in that day:

“I will give thanks to you, O LORD,

for though you were angry with me,

your anger turned away,

that you might comfort me.

“Behold, God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid;

for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation.”

“Though you were angry with me, your anger turned away.” What an incredible statement of forgiveness. The six verses of Isaiah 12 are so rich. The chapter starts with this statement of forgiveness and salvation. It then goes on to describe how God’s people respond to his forgiveness. Forgiveness and salvation result in thanksgiving, trust, lack of fear, strength, singing, and joy. And then he starts all over again with thanks, testimony, singing, and joy.

These are not things one ought to do if one is saved. They are the things one does when salvation is realized. We naturally respond to salvation with thanksgiving, and joy. We naturally trust and find peace and strength in the presence of the one who has saved us. We naturally sing and shout for joy when we have been saved from great danger. We naturally talk to people about the one who saved us. If these things are not in our lives it is likely that we do not have a clear and present sense of the depth of our sin, the height of our salvation, nor an awareness of the very real presence of God our savior in our lives. Bottom line? We don’t believe what God says. It is that simple.

Peter wrote that if the believer’s life is not increasingly characterized by faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love, it is because the believer, “is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins” (2 Pet 1:9). It leaves us ineffective and unfruitful. Notice that there are two things we have forgotten in that verse. We have forgotten that we were sinners. We have forgotten that we have been cleansed. We must hold both of those truths together.

Isaiah 12:3 says, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” When we forget the reality of our salvation we lose our joy, we struggle in our walk with God, and we end up ineffective and unfruitful. We need to remember every day that we are saved. We need to remember every day that we are saved from God’s anger. We need to remember every day why God was angry with us. We need to remember every day that he is no longer angry. His anger is turned away. He is the God of our salvation. In him we can trust and not be afraid. We need to remember every day that Creator God loves us. We need to remind ourselves of this every day. How easily we forget.