Amped Up Voices

In that day you will say:
"I will praise you, O LORD.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.

Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."

With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.

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

Today I had an experience that tugged at my conscience for the remainder of the day. I was standing in line at my local supermarket and when it came to be my turn I swiped my store card as I normally do and began to engage in some pointless small talk about how the cashier's day was going. He divulged that he was a little bummed that he had to work the holiday and how he would miss BBQing like he had done every other year. Now instead of inviting him to come down the road on his lunch break and break some bread at our church's BBQ I let the moment slip through my fingers. It was not until I was driving away that the Holy Spirit revealed my folly.


Why is it that I can get angry about politics and discuss it with such passion and conviction but when it comes to the souls of men I can be callous and let times of divine opportunity slip away?


One answer that comes to mind is that I do not fully believe in the message that I spread. This morning during Sunday School we discussed this very fact. We used the analogy of speeding on the highway. If we do not see a police officer it is so easy to let that needle make its way passed the posted speed. In the same way if we let our faith become cold then we begin to believe that God isn't watching us therefore "what He doesn't know..."


This is what has been nagging on me today and I decided to spend sometime searching for His will. During this search I came across a few things. The first was an old song called Pitiful by Blindside. In the songs it talks about how we pretend that the eyes of God are not on us so that we can do whatever is comfortable. Today the eyes of God were watching to see what I would do with that young cashier and instead of being the man that God sees me as, I pretended that he wasn't watching so that I could be comfortable and not have to put myself out.

The second thing I found was Isaiah 12, it talks about how God was angry with us but his anger is turned away so that He can comfort us. Because of this simple fact we should praise His name, praise everything about Him, sing, and even shout about all His glory and goodness. How awesome is that? How awesome is it that God may be disappointed by us and even angered by what we do but He will turn from His anger so that He can comfort us. Through His comfort we can forgiveness not only from Him but also from ourselves. I don't know about any of you but I am my own worse enemy and critic so forgiving myself can only be done with God's help.

In the spirit of Isaiah 12 I will begin to praise, begin to sing and shout. I pray for the strength to not miss any other opportunities. I pray that my voice will be amped up and never be silenced again. Join me if you will.