Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2 KJV
Context and Charge:
There is a undeniable and fundamentally important place of a personal encounter and experience of God. All the men and women of the Bible had these encounters and we see very clearly from their lives that no one comes in contact with God and remains the same. There is a change in confidence and character. I perceive that the first line in the verse above is a declaration to other people based on that personal encounter. You can't have it and not want to declare it to other people. You can't have it and not want to share it. Have you had that personal encounter? Have I? Before I can claim the benefit, I must align with the basic rules of engagement.
God is a lot of things to a lot of people at different spheres of human endeavours, but today, the writer here emphasizes on God being his salvation. Not just the God who gives salvation, but the one who is also the personality and embodiment of what is man's greatest need. Salvation is the key to man's greatest blessing, which is eternal life. Of all that God promises to give me, that which I must not ignore, and which is the key that unlocks all others and guarantees them to eternity, is salvation. Utterances by the mouth are evidence of the convictions of the heart. It matters what you believe, because your beliefs drive your passion, pursuits and priorities.
Conviction and Conclusion:
It is also my beliefs and actions that will encourage other people to seek out the God I know. The confidence that comes from a heart that has encountered God on a personal level. Fear will always come, seeking to threaten the peace that God gives, but knowing who God is, what he has done and is doing, and the mighty things he is able to do fill my heart with confidence that I will not be put to shame. Fear is that natural way the human heart responds to things it cannot control or does not understand. I tap into all the resources of God: his person, his Word, his expectations and demands, his plans and purposes for the future and the eternal life that crowns all that He has promised me.
That information is all I need to confront and counter all that the human heart may raise as 'legitimate' concerns. Can I say what this writer has said with confidence, sure of who God is, and where I stand with Him? Can I declare him to the world around me, sure and secure in my knowledge and experience of Him, that no matter what comes my way on the journey of life, the good end, which is eternal life with God, is already secured? Can I sing in the face of tough times and tribulations, because I know that there is always a good end for all things, for those who love God and are saved by Him? God's time of favour is here.
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