The Luther Seminary of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Tuesday, 8 December 2015 "God Pause Daily Devotional Isaiah 12:2-6

The Luther Seminary of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Tuesday, 8 December 2015 "God Pause Daily Devotional Isaiah 12:2-6

Isaiah 12:2 “See! God is my salvation.

I am confident and unafraid;

for Yah Adonai is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation!”

3 Then you will joyfully draw water

from the springs of salvation.

4 On that day you will say,

“Give thanks to Adonai! Call on his name!

Make his deeds known among the peoples,

declare how exalted is his name.

5 Sing to Adonai, for he has triumphed —

this is being made known throughout the earth.

6 Shout and sing for joy,

you who live in Tziyon;

for the Holy One of Isra’el

is with you in his greatness!”

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Today is Tuesday. The prophet Isaiah calls us to sing, shout and testify to the greatness of God with wild abandon, to throw off our fears and celebrate our salvation. But it can be hard to praise God on a Tuesday. Tuesdays can be such ordinary days, with school and work and committee meetings and crying babies and doctors' visits. Even in the season of Advent, when we wait with joyful hope for the coming of Jesus, we can slip into some very ordinary melancholy.
"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12:3). This metaphor is perfect for a Tuesday, because it celebrates all that God has done for us by imagining praise as a routine, everyday survival activity, like drawing water from a well. As we move through our ordinary days, may we find ways to sing and shout and tell the world of God's saving power.
God of our salvation, we praise you for all you have done for us. As we move through our ordinary days, help us rejoice in you always. Amen.
Cameron Howard
Assistant Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary
Isaiah 12:2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
4 And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.[New Revised Standard Version]
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