Isaiah 12

ScriptureIsaiah 12:2Surely God is my salvation;I will trust and not be afraid.The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense;he has become my salvation.”Observation - What does it say?Following the prophecy of Jesus’ coming and the age of peace to come, Isaiah prophesies a declaration that God’s people will make in that day. This declaration reveals much about what the condition of their hearts will be and the nature of their relationship with God in the time to come. In this declaration, the people of God reveal some amazing things about their past, God’s faithfulness, and who God is to them.Understanding - What does it mean?Rather than just stating that the Lord is my strength and my defense, what struck me in this verse is the additional clarification, the Lord himself.The Lord has such great concern and love for his people that he himself strengthens and defends them.God doesn’t just send messengers, commanding angels to do the protecting and ordering other human beings to care for and strengthen each other so he can concern himself with something he deems more important. He commands the angels and other human beings, not to replace him as the strengthener and defender of men but rather to partner with him in what he is already doing. It is the Lord himself who is already intimately involved in the affairs of his people. It’s the Lord himself who strengthens and defends his people. The Lord doesn’t just grant us salvation, he himself is our salvation and he himself came and endured the cross. It is impossible to reason that God is distant or isn’t concerned with us or doesn’t love us when you consider the ways he has been, and currently is, intimately involved in our lives.Life ApplicationWorship God for his personal and intimate involvement in my life!God, who am I that the creator of the galaxies would concern himself with me and my needs? Your love for your people is beyond comprehension. With all the things you could give yourself to, you choose to give yourself to a people who least deserve it. Thank you for being the one to strengthen me, the one to defend me, the one to save me, the one to guide me and the one to provide for my every need. I’m so grateful! Help me to show it by the way I live, in my love for you and for others. Amen.