The joy of salvation
Sing, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem, you who have never been in labor. For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband,” says the Lord. “Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense! For you will soon be bursting at the seams. Your descendants will occupy other nations and resettle the ruined cities. Isaiah 54:1-3 NLT
From the text, Isaiah looks at the sin-bearing Messiah and has one thing to say to us: “Sing...! Break into loud and joyful song” (Isaiah 54:1). In other words, “Let joyful song explode out of you!” This may be one of the most disobeyed commands in the Bible. Being joyful and expressing it because of the salvation that God has provided should not be a virtue but a natural response. This is what God is creating within the hearts of believers. We must rejoice with Him, or we risk making our hearts resistant to salvation. When Jesus entered Jerusalem and there were loud shouts of “Hosannas” from the crowd, the religious leaders did not like it one bit. Jesus rebuked them and said, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” (Luke 19:40). John Calvin, during the Reformation understood this and in his teaching he said, “The Church is the place where the Gospel is preached; Gospel is good news; good news makes people happy; happy people sing.” Once saved by God and transformed from death to life, now destined to inherit eternity and every blessing the Almighty God can think of, if nothing can prevent us from enjoying our new position before God because of what He did on our behalf, if all these will not make us smile and sing praises for Him, what can? “Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him” (Psalm 95:1-2).
Blessings,