Overflowing

Read: Isaiah 12: 2-6

Many of our Scripture lessons throughout Advent and Christmas speak of overflowing joy. This joy is both a present and a future state. In the present, the characters of the story rejoice in what God is doing or has done right at that moment. At the same time, these charaters are often looking forward to something of  great joy (usually God's final redemption and eternal glory).

Our passage for today is no different. It is a hymn of great praise to God. Read again some of the phrases used by Isaiah, "the LORD is my strength and my song", "give thanks...and call upon his name", "Sing....God has done glorious things", and the list goes on. From the depth of their being, the author is overflowing in praise and gratitude to God. So much so, that it is hard not to get caught up in it as we read it, all these centuries later.

It's easy to praise God, though, when things are going well. When the stresses of life seem manageable, when there is relative peace in our soul, and when we can easily see our overflowing blessings. It is much more difficult to praise when the oppostie is true--the stresses threaten to bury us, peace seems to be nowhere to be found, and it's hard to see even one blessing let alone an abundance. Even in those hard times, we are invited by God to remember who our God is. We are invited to remember that God is our anchor, our strength, and our salvation. It is a reminder that there is nothing in this world that can overpower God, unless we allow it to.

Whether your cup is overflowing with blessings or you find yourself overrun with fear and trouble, I want to invite you to open your heart today to the goodness of God. Take a few moments and either recite or chant the words of Isaiah 12:2-6. Allow the goodness of God to wash over you. It is in moments such as these that we find ourselves near to the heart of God. As we open ourselves to God, God will draw near to us and we will find that peace that all people crave so dearly.