The Fear of the Lord - Part 2
Isaiah 12 packs a powerful punch for only having six verses. Yesterday, I thought I'd squeezed out most of the milk of the chapter in the three verses I studied. Man, was I wrong! The last three verses were just as powerful, and almost more convicting. Tomorrow, I will be starting a 30-Day Devotional Guide from the book "Choosing Gratitude", and I found that these three verses are a perfect way to get me started:
"In that day you will say: 'Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.' " ~ Isaiah 12:4-6.
I believe this set of verses rightly expresses the joy and gratitude we should have from the last three verses in recognizing our salvation (click here to read part 1). So let's look at these verses piece by piece:
Give Thanks - We are not only saying this to ourselves, but there is an implied "you" here, or, "You, give thanks with me!" So we should not only be giving thanks (for everything!) but encouraging others to give praise and thanks as well.
Call on His Name - Again, I believe this is part of the confidence and trust that comes from salvation (see part 1). If a child is hurt or lost, will they call out to just any stranger nearby for help? No! They'll cry out, or run to, their parents! If we truly trust our heavenly Father, we will call to Him, pour out our hearts to Him, and again, encourage others to do the same.
Make Known, Proclaim, and Sing/Shout - I believe this is where the overflow of our joy and thankfulness should lead, if we have truly developed this kind of heart--that we can't help but tell others about Him! As Luke 6:45b says, "...For out of overflow of his mouth his heart speaks." Not only do we want a thankful heart that gushes out on our friends, family, and fellow believers, but we want it to flow onto unbelievers as well.
Part of this is as simple as living our lives in a joyful/thankful way so that when we walk into a room, people see that we are different. 1 Thessalonians 4:12 talks about our daily lives winning the respect of "outsiders". However, we're also clearly supposed to make verbal proclamations as well--"singing" and "shouting aloud".
Sometimes, we can fake a joyful attitude in public, or around our friends, or even at home. We can put on a smile, avoid complaining, and try not to say anything upsetting. But I've become convicted that true gratitude is not just about these outward actions, but about the heart! After a while, it can't be skin deep anymore. We'll either give up (because faking it is too hard) or we will develop the heart of gratitude to where we can say, "Great is the Holy One among us--the one in me." And maybe no one else will know the difference except for God.
When we develop a heart of gratitude that spawns from joy in our salvation, I believe this passage indicates that it will overflow as "singing" and "shouting", telling others (especially unbelievers) about the glorious things He has done--primarily, the Gospel! When our joy overflows in this fashion, it is in itself fearing the Lord instead of Man, because we're more concerned about proclaiming His name than anything else!
Honestly, brothers and sisters, I don't think I'm there yet. I've certainly been convicted, yes, and have a whole new outlook on this subject, but I still feel like I'm right between faking it and really possessing a heart of gratitude. When it comes to proclaiming His name to unbelievers, I still sometimes feel like this:
But you know what? I'm still growing...but I don't want to use that as an excuse to stop!!!
For those of you in the same boat, I would definitely recommend the book that I've been going through, "Choosing Gratitude" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Not only does she do a great job at describing our need to put on gratitude and put off ingratitude, but she purposefully created the 30-Day devotional at the end of the book so the reader is not left simply to ponder what they've read, but are given a guide to put it into practice!
Most importantly, however, I (and anyone else seeking) need to be continually asking God for this heart. James is my favorite book of the Bible, and one of my favorite set of verses is James 1:5-8 that says - "If any of you lacks wisdom [or a heart of gratitude], he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
Dear Lord, I beg you--please give me this heart of gratitude. I want to proclaim your awesome name to the nations without fear. I believe that you can and will give me this heart if I continue to seek after you and not doubt your promise to give me everything I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
~~~
In Christ,
Ellie
"In that day you will say: 'Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.' " ~ Isaiah 12:4-6.
I believe this set of verses rightly expresses the joy and gratitude we should have from the last three verses in recognizing our salvation (click here to read part 1). So let's look at these verses piece by piece:
Give Thanks - We are not only saying this to ourselves, but there is an implied "you" here, or, "You, give thanks with me!" So we should not only be giving thanks (for everything!) but encouraging others to give praise and thanks as well.
Call on His Name - Again, I believe this is part of the confidence and trust that comes from salvation (see part 1). If a child is hurt or lost, will they call out to just any stranger nearby for help? No! They'll cry out, or run to, their parents! If we truly trust our heavenly Father, we will call to Him, pour out our hearts to Him, and again, encourage others to do the same.Make Known, Proclaim, and Sing/Shout - I believe this is where the overflow of our joy and thankfulness should lead, if we have truly developed this kind of heart--that we can't help but tell others about Him! As Luke 6:45b says, "...For out of overflow of his mouth his heart speaks." Not only do we want a thankful heart that gushes out on our friends, family, and fellow believers, but we want it to flow onto unbelievers as well.
Part of this is as simple as living our lives in a joyful/thankful way so that when we walk into a room, people see that we are different. 1 Thessalonians 4:12 talks about our daily lives winning the respect of "outsiders". However, we're also clearly supposed to make verbal proclamations as well--"singing" and "shouting aloud".
Sometimes, we can fake a joyful attitude in public, or around our friends, or even at home. We can put on a smile, avoid complaining, and try not to say anything upsetting. But I've become convicted that true gratitude is not just about these outward actions, but about the heart! After a while, it can't be skin deep anymore. We'll either give up (because faking it is too hard) or we will develop the heart of gratitude to where we can say, "Great is the Holy One among us--the one in me." And maybe no one else will know the difference except for God.
When we develop a heart of gratitude that spawns from joy in our salvation, I believe this passage indicates that it will overflow as "singing" and "shouting", telling others (especially unbelievers) about the glorious things He has done--primarily, the Gospel! When our joy overflows in this fashion, it is in itself fearing the Lord instead of Man, because we're more concerned about proclaiming His name than anything else!
Honestly, brothers and sisters, I don't think I'm there yet. I've certainly been convicted, yes, and have a whole new outlook on this subject, but I still feel like I'm right between faking it and really possessing a heart of gratitude. When it comes to proclaiming His name to unbelievers, I still sometimes feel like this:
But you know what? I'm still growing...but I don't want to use that as an excuse to stop!!!
For those of you in the same boat, I would definitely recommend the book that I've been going through, "Choosing Gratitude" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Not only does she do a great job at describing our need to put on gratitude and put off ingratitude, but she purposefully created the 30-Day devotional at the end of the book so the reader is not left simply to ponder what they've read, but are given a guide to put it into practice!
Most importantly, however, I (and anyone else seeking) need to be continually asking God for this heart. James is my favorite book of the Bible, and one of my favorite set of verses is James 1:5-8 that says - "If any of you lacks wisdom [or a heart of gratitude], he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
Dear Lord, I beg you--please give me this heart of gratitude. I want to proclaim your awesome name to the nations without fear. I believe that you can and will give me this heart if I continue to seek after you and not doubt your promise to give me everything I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
~~~
In Christ,
Ellie
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