He Put A Song in My Heart

These six short verses are so packed with theology, with praise, with proclamation, with pattern. I’ve been looking at in depth for the last few weeks and the more I look the more I see. These verses are filled with personal worship in Verses 1-3 and a call to worship in 4-6. There is praise to God for his grace… His unmerited favor. There is proclamation… a call for others to worship God because of who He is and what He does. And impied here is a pattern. God’s people ought to have a song.

A Declaration of Personal Praise

Isaiah 12:1–3 HCSB

On that day you will say: “I will praise You, Lord, although You were angry with me. Your anger has turned away, and You have had compassion on me. Indeed, God is my salvation; I will trust Him and not be afraid, for Yah, the Lord, is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.” You will joyfully draw water from the springs of salvation,

You will notice that there is an emphasis on “In that day.” This connects chapter 12 to Isaiah’s prophecy about the Kingdom of God in chapter 11. Isaiah is saying “as you think about the better day to come, it will stir a heart of worship.” Let’s be clear, he tells them this WHEN THINGS AREN’t GOOD. There is a better day to come. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t learn to praise Him now.

What will happen? I WILL PRAISE YOU?

Why Praise?

God’s anger has been turned away. Not because they did something to deserve it. God’s grace and mercy will be poured out on them, and we know why. Isaiah 53 will point us to that day. God’s wrath will be turned away because it is satisfied at the cross. The cross is God’s place of compassion.

Faith leaves no room for fear. God is seen as

Strength

Song

Salvation

Joyfully draw water from springs of salvation. Jesus and the woman at the well… from your innermost being will come rivers of living water.

A Call for Corporate Praise

Isaiah 12:4–6 HCSB

and on that day you will say: “Give thanks to Yahweh; proclaim His name! Celebrate His works among the peoples. Declare that His name is exalted. Sing to Yahweh, for He has done glorious things. Let this be known throughout the earth. Cry out and sing, citizen of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is among you in His greatness.”

Notice the shift from personal praise to proclaiming that others should praise Him too.

I think it is important to note the order of this: Personal praise preceded a public appeal for people to praise,,,

Put another way: Your public praise will only be as good as your private praise. I think this is good for “leaders” to hear. Band members… choir members. soloists. Praise team ministers. Worship pastors. Pastors.

I think sometimes we fail to realize that the way we respond in worship has the power influence others.

Just look at it:

Give Thanks to God

Proclaim His Name

Celebrate His Works

Declare His Name as exalted.

Sing … He has done glorious things.

Cry out and sing.

God is among you in greatness.

The people of God are supposed to be a singing people!

We are a musical people!

And we have a reason to sing that the world doesn’t have.

A few years ago I attended a conference in Nashville on Biblical sexuality and the church. There were bloggers and members of the press there, and followed a few of the very left leaning folks on twitter. Each session began with a few songs. I noticed one LGBTQIA blogger tweet the following… They are singing again. Have to admit it sounds great. We don’t have songs.

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers sings a bluegrass song called “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs.”

The Bible says in Job that angels sang when God made the world. The first singing focused in on God.

Sure there are many ways to worship, but the church HAS something to sing about.

And we are to faithfully call others to worship the King.