Week Two
December 9, 2021
Faith Leads Us to Peace
Isaiah 12:2-6
Yes, indeed— God is my salvation. I trust, I won’t be afraid. God- yes God!— is my strength and song, best of all, my salvation! Isaiah 12:2 (The Message)
At first glance, you feel the peace presented in this joyful song, but the prophet Isaiah shared these words in a world full of doom and gloom. The people of Judah had struggles, fears, divisiveness, and uncertainty. This passage is a much-needed bright spot sharing of the future day when we draw together to give thanks and praise.
Today’s struggles, fears, inequalities, and other crises echo Isaiah’s time. We also experience personal strife, worry, illness, accidents, and loss. We feel frail and very human. It seems too much to join in or repeat this beautiful song; to trust, and not be afraid.
When we are fearful though, it helps us to understand that God is always faithful. The Spirit reaches to us from the pages and across the centuries to let us know that God is with us, is our strength, stands beside us, and even carries us through painful moments or worrying times. Grace and love are gifts bestowed upon us; compassion and comfort are blessings that sustain us, enabling us to withstand what overwhelms us. This verse is a promise that can help us get through troubles and personal challenges.
During this season of Advent, as nights seem so dark and the relentlessness of this world keeps us worried, we wait, just like the people of Isaiah’s time, for “the future day” when God’s salvation will come to us in all its fullness, we won’t be afraid. We are drawn toward that, ready to “sing praise-songs to God. Let the whole earth know what’s been done!” (Isaiah 12:6). We celebrate with the whole people of God. Can we get any more peace than that?
Leslie LeSieur
Senior Director of the Center for Ministry and Lay Training
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