Isaiah
12 reminds me of a day we spent visiting a family member that has 3
year old triplets. The mom was clearly frazzled and welcomed
all assistance in maintaining sanity. It is comical to watch
the teamwork involved in children creating chaos, unless you are
their mom. It reaffirmed my understanding of the role of a
father. Dad has many God-given responsibilities in the family.
He is to provide, defend, protect, discipline and teach.
Ultimately, it is my responsibility to lead my children and family to
the God of Salvation. Isaiah begins, “In
that day you will say“. The
words that follow are the unrestrained, unashamed praise of a mature
Dad on display. “I will
praise you, LORD“. This
is born from experience and understanding. “Although
You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away and You have
comforted me“. One man
with grown children once said that his biggest regret was doing such
a poor job in disciplining his boys. He failed to communicate that he
loved them
while being disappointed by their
action. He failed to
separate the two. Done right, discipline is followed by
comfort. He adds, “Surely
God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid“.
My prayer is that my children learn respect for me that they may
learn to honor my God. He concludes, “The
LORD Himself, is my strength and my defense“.
Are you living in chaos?
Not
everyone has a dad to point the way, but God promises us He has sent
His Holy Spirit to be our guide and teacher. His resources are
without end. Isaiah proclaims, “With
joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation“.
As we look to God within our mess, He will meet us, right where we
are. You do not have to clean up your house before inviting God
in. Jesus was often ridiculed for hanging out with sinners, but
His response was simple, “It is
not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick”
(Matthew 9:12). Later in the same chapter Jesus “When
He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were
harassed and helpless“.
Jesus
loves the harassed and helpless.
The proud and the self-righteous look to themselves for salvation.
I
picture the last part of the chapter in a quiet kitchen, not a
crowded stadium. God’s truth is best shared one to one.
This dad says, “Give praise to
the LORD, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has
done… His name is exalted“.
In the muck and mire, it is hard to see beyond the next bathroom
emergency, but we are called to bring the light of hope to the
weary. He continues, “Sing
to the LORD, for He has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the
world“. Friend, if you
have experience forgiveness of sin through the blood of Christ, then
you can sing praise to the Giver of Life. The chapter
concludes, “Shout aloud and
sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of
Israel among you“. All
of us need the Heavenly Father to keep from being outnumbered by our
concerns. Will you be an encourager today? “May
God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.
May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ. The
One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it”
(1 Thessalonians 5:23).