“Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.” (Isa 12:5-6 AV)
In verse three, the bible tells us to draw joy out of the well of salvation. This is a deep well that never runs dry. The context is the salvation and restoration of Israel after millennia of captivity and diaspora. Israel will be restored to their land, Jesus will return, and they will enjoy 1,000 years of peaceful reign. The salvation spoken of here is a physical one which was the result of a spiritual one. Those Jews who accept Christ as their Messiah will also be saved physically during the tribulation. Those saved both spiritually and physically will then enter a millennial reign wherein worship is the main function of mankind. Because the LORD saved them, they will gladly proclaim His mercy and strength. The same is true for the New Testament saint. We have been saved from a life of sin and an eternity of hell. Life may have its challenges, but God is always good to us. Salvation is a wonder to behold and a privilege to live. Our passage tells us to sing. The things he has done are past tense. The fact He is known is always present tense. We are told to cry and shout. This is no silent praise! This is verbose. This is obvious and borders on annoying. But if God has done and is doing great things, then our natural response should be to verbalize His greatness to any and all.
Over the years, I have known many older saints who seem to have a handle on how great God is. Recently, I have had the privilege of getting to know an older couple who have retired from ministry. In fact, as I write this, several come to mind. They all have one thing in common. They have learned to live in the joy of the LORD each moment of each day regardless of the circumstances they face. Another saint comes to mind. This fella is a good friend of the groom whom I co-officiated this past weekend. We sat and spoke for a while. He had been widowed several years back, so he has been alone for some time. He has just been diagnosed with a cancer of the blood. This type of cancer is incurable. To further complicate his situation, he has a bad heart. He needs surgery on his heart before he can undergo the treatments for his cancer. And he is doing this alone. One would think anyone in this predicament would be discouraged and downcast. Not this guy. He sees this as an opportunity to share his faith with any and all whom he meets. He told me that it is his goal to hand a tract to each and every nurse, doctor, and employee of the cancer center where he is going. Rather than go down a road of self-pity, depression, or resignation, he is seeing this as an opportunity to share the love of God with lost souls. He doesn’t complain. He doesn’t moan. He looks forward to the next appointment with joy and anticipation.
We have no standing to complain. We have no reason to murmur. God is good to us all the time. Last night, my wife and I watched a medical drama. In this episode, a father dies from injuries suffered in a car accident. Every time I watch a show like this, I wonder how anyone can cope with life while having no relationship with God. The last scene regarding this husband and father was of the wife, sitting by her husband's body and weeping. She was completely hopeless. How does anyone live without God? We have the LORD. We have a shoulder to lean on that is bigger than the universe. We have a God who knows all things. He knows our needs. He knows our weaknesses. He knows how He will meet with us in a very special way. This is why the well of salvation is deep. It doesn’t end in eternity. It is infinitely deep. The joys are everlasting to everlasting. He is mighty to save. He is there whenever we call upon His name. He is a wonder! He is active! He is and always will be our loving Father. So, let everyone else in on the secret. The depth of our gratitude is commensurate with the energy and frequency of our public praise. If we are silent, then we do not appreciate all that God has done for us.
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