Drawing from the well of salvation

Campbell Dye November 14, 2022 0 2

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Isaiah 12 (NIVUK)

1 In that day you will say:

‘I will praise you, 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 himself, is my strength and my defence;
    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 praise to the Lord, proclaim 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.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
    for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.’

My primary school headmaster would stand outside his office at the end of each break and watch as we trudged (often damply) back to our classrooms. He would frequently spend playtime watching the pupils out of the immensely tall Victorian window of his clinically neat office. Always immaculately dressed with speckless polished shoes, he would beckon miscreants out of the line to be dealt with before the day continued. I remember the shine of his shoes because it was not thought wise to make eye contact and my gaze was always bowed towards the crimson linoleum floor.

Is this how we see God? A stern headmaster? Joyless, legalistic, ever-ready to mete out punishment?

That’s not how Isaiah saw Him. Here is God as saviour and protector, whose (deserved) anger has dissipated, being replaced with a desire to comfort his people. The picture we are given is fresh and lively – we hear about water being drawn from the wells of salvation.

We are invited to engage: to praise, proclaim and shout. We are exhorted to sing for joy and tell the world what He has done for us.

I am constantly amazed by Isaiah. Written more than 700 years before the birth of Jesus, he foretells so precisely the intimacy and joy of Christian life. Through knowing Jesus, we have no reason to be afraid of God. We have every reason to shout aloud and sing for joy. Let’s go draw from that well of salvation.

PRAYER:

Almighty God, I praise you for what you have done for me. Help me to proclaim your name. Give me courage and strength to be a witness to who you are. AMEN.