“I will give thanks to You, O Lord;
For although You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away,
And You comfort me.
“Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For the Lord God is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.”
Therefore you will joyously draw water
From the springs of salvation.
And in that day you will say,
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name.
Make known His deeds among the peoples;
Make them remember that His name is exalted.”
Praise the Lord in song, for He has done excellent things;
Let this be known throughout the earth.
Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 12
Chapter 11 of Isaiah is a beautiful prophetic summary of Christ's earthly mission, beginning with His appearance two thousand years ago as the long-promised branch of the root of Jesse, to the future time when He will "gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth" (Isaiah 11:12).
I mention this to try to qualify what moment "Then," the first word of Isaiah 12, might refer to. It seems to refer not to a specific time, but to a specific resolution -- a person's salvation or forgiveness: "For although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me."
The salvation referred to here is not only the once-forever salvation we receive from God as believers, but His ongoing redemptive work in us:
“Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For the Lord God is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.”
God has BECOME my salvation: not only in forgiving me, but through the redemptive acts He performs each day in my life. Through these acts He has taught me a deeper understanding of who He is and what He has done. I therefore understand that I can trust Him completely and need not be afraid, for He is my strength and song -- the One who fights for me and holds me secure as I do what He asks; the One who is the very source of my praise and joy.
Which leads to two of my favorite lines of this chapter:
Therefore you will joyously draw water
From the springs of salvation.
Joyously drawing water from the springs of salvation -- wonderfully experiencing the fullness of the person of Christ from the outflowing of our restored relationship. This is the Christian life, as God intended. No wonder Isaiah ends this meditation with a shout of joy:
Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
O inhabitant of the eternal "city of believers" which God Himself inhabits, great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. He is in our midst, not as a figurehead, but as Living Water within us. How excellent are His deeds and how exalted His name -- let this be known throughout the earth!