Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. – Isaiah 12:4
Who is God to you? What do you truly know of Him? Does your knowledge of Him bring you to a state of praise and thanksgiving? What deeds have you seen Him perform lately—things that can only be attributed to Him? Do they cause you to worship? Can you see how what the Lord has done fits perfectly into His purposes? Do you enthusiastically extol Him to others for what He has done?
Chapter 12 of Isaiah has only 6 verses. It is a hymn of worship, praise, and thanksgiving. The Lord is praised for setting aside His anger and for encouraging His people to trust in Him and understand His great salvation. It is an exhortation to praise and thanksgiving. In his commentary on the Old Testament, theologian John Trapp says, “The saints are unsatisfiable in praising God for the great work of their redemption, and do therefore call in help, all that may be.” The worshipper who is excited about how God is working just can’t stop talking about His greatness.
Theologian Charles Spurgeon challenges you in your worship, saying, “We ought not to worship God in a half-hearted sort of way; as if it were now our duty to bless God, but we felt it to be a weary business, and we would get it through as quickly as we could, and have done with it; and the sooner the better. No, no; ‘All that is within me, bless his holy name.’ Come, my heart, wake up, and summon all the powers which wait upon thee! Mechanical worship is easy, but worthless. Come rouse yourself, my brother! Rouse thyself, O my own soul!”
God is at work fulfilling His purposes on Earth. Do not be silent or keep your worship to yourself. As Jesus said, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out! (Luke 19:40).
Today’s Verse: Isaiah 12:4
And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Isaiah 12
You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
2 “Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and 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 upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
