May 14 - Sing to the Lord

Today's Reading:
Isaiah 12:1-14:32
1 Peter 1:13-2:10
Psalm 139:11-16 
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Focus Verses: 
Isaiah 12:1-5
1 In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. 2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.

Insight:
Through faith, the prophet Isaiah could see beyond the coming oppression of Assyria. He could see that though they were few in number, there were people in Israel who were faithfully looking to God, heeding his commands, and clinging to his promises.

They would one day sing a song of praise as they experienced God's salvation and deliverance. Because of his faith in God's deliverance, Isaiah pauses in his prophecy to offer up a present-tense version of the song that he believed the remnant of Israel would one day sing as they looked back at their salvation.

Response and Action:
I want to be faithful to God. Even though there are so many who reject Christ, or turn away from God, or deny truth, or abandon faith, I intend to hold on to the deliverance and salvation promised to me in Scripture and given to me through Jesus. I will sing songs of praise to God today for the hope I have in Christ for tomorrow.

O Father, you are holy and you fill the heavens. I long to see your kingdom on earth, your will lived out here as it is in heaven. I ask you to provide the bread I need for today. Forgive me and give me the grace to forgive others in the same way. Lead me away from temptation and deliver me from evil. You alone are King. You reign in power and glory forever. Amen. 

Spiritual Formation Verses: Proverbs: 12:28
"In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality."

Resources:
Hope Has Its Reasons: The Search to Satisfy Our Deepest Longings
by Rebecca Manley Pippert