Isaiah 12:2 - My Song (It is well...)

The prophet Isaiah once wrote,
"God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory." Isaiah 12:2 (NLT)

What did Isaiah mean that God is "my song?" What does that look like? What does it sound like?

Several years ago, a friend of mine was invited to join a small group that regularly sang to residents at a nursing home. Rather than gathering in a large room, they went door-to-door down the hallway with a couple guitars to accompany their voices.

They entered the first room and started singing,
"When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul."

At the far end of the hallway, they heard a beautiful voice, loudly joining in from another room.

They continued down the hallway, stopping to sing various hymns and songs to residents. Some residents would join in, some would listen attentively, and some would just stare blankly. But with every song, the voice down the hall joined in.

By the time they arrived at the last room, my friend's companions had told him who the singer was. It still didn't prepare him for what he saw.

The lady was in bed, wearing a nighty. She was clean, but her hair was rather disheveled. Because of severe diabetes, both of her legs had been amputated. Both of her eyes had been removed. One of her arms was blackened, withered and useless.

Yet her face glowed with a gigantic smile as she leaned back on her pillow to belt out another hymn with them.

She explained, "My kids don't visit me anymore. My husband doesn't visit me anymore. But I'm blessed because I know the Lord."

My friend still gets choked up recounting the story. In that room, he stood on holy ground. That lady knew what Isaiah meant by, "God is my song."

In that same chapter, Isaiah wrote,
"Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world." (v.5). Before we sing God's praises anywhere in the world, we first sing to Him, for He has done wonderful things.

My sin--oh the bliss of this glorious thought!--
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul!  
It is well, with my soul;
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Amen.

The score for the first line is adapted from the Salvation Army Band Tune Book, No. 695 (Publ.1987)