Daily Devotions
“The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2
What kind of song do you sing with your life – dull, flat, off-key, halfhearted or enthusiastic, vibrant, melodious? Isaiah gives us a glimpse of the songs we sing.
We often sing a song of the world. In Isaiah’s day the world was singing a very discordant song. Greed for wealth, vanity of clothes and jewelry, immorality and drunkenness, and exploitation of others blared loud and strident notes in the song of life. Our society, too, produces music which often jars the senses, splits the eardrums, and describes the very worst of life. We worship television, strive to keep up with the Joneses, drink excessively, take drugs, exploit others, and wallow in immorality.
We also sing a song of self. Our age capitalizes the “I.” I want. I need. I think. I feel. Going far beyond a healthy self-image, we insist on our rights, satisfy our every desire, and live only for the moment. Children rebel. We work hard for the good life for ourselves and sometimes ignore God, country, and others. How enthusiastically we sing the song of the world and the song of self!
We need to sing a song of confession. Israel ultimately repented. In the Babylonian exile God’s people sang a song of confession and looked to God for help with a humble desire to return home. We admit that worldly, selfish songs only lead to fear, defeat, guilt, and unhappiness. We sing a song of confession to God, admitting our sin and our need for Him.
Isaiah tells us that the Lord is our Song. God’s people in their repentance looked to Him and His promised Messiah. He became their Strength and their Song. He gave them hope and filled them with joy, so that they could sing a different kind of song – a song of praise! Jesus, the crucified and risen Savior, is our song!
PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for being my Song. Amen.
(Devotions from “My Daily Devotion” by Dr. Stephen J. Carter, copyright 1988 CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. For ordering information, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit www.cph.org.)