Isaiah 12 Devotional

When Wrath Gives Way to Comfort

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.””Isaiah 12:2 (BSB)

After the promise of the coming King, Isaiah gives God's people a song for the day of rescue. It begins by admitting that God was angry, and then marvels that his anger is gone and he has given comfort instead (12:1). The singer does not claim to have earned that change. The same God who was rightly angry has become their salvation, their strength, and their song, and so fear gives way to trust (12:2).

The song then turns outward. Joy comes like water drawn from deep wells of salvation (12:3), and the response is to tell the nations what God has done and make his name known everywhere (12:4-5). At its center, the Holy One of Israel lives among his people in greatness (12:6). Paul explains how God's anger can turn away from sinners: those justified by the blood of Christ will be saved from wrath through him (Romans 5:9). Praise from people comforted this way overflows on its own, and someone near you may need to hear it.

To think about: How has God turned toward you in comfort rather than anger, and who could you tell about it this week?