Isaiah 12:1-2
In that day you will say: I will give thanks to you, Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger has turned away, and you comfort me. Surely God is my salvation. I will trust him and will not be afraid, because Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We give you thanks because you have redeemed us from our sins. As Isaiah wrote, you were angry with us because of our sins, and there was nothing we could do to remove them. We were bound to our sin. Since you are a holy and just God, you had every right to turn your back on us because of our evil thoughts and deeds. But that was not what you did. Instead, you sent your Son to this earth cloaked in human flesh to save us from all our sins. He became human and lived under all the laws given to us so that he would keep them perfectly in our place. His righteousness has been gifted to us, so you no longer see our sinfulness but Jesus’ perfection. Then, Jesus went to the cross, becoming a curse for us and taking all our sins into himself so that forgiveness of sins and salvation would be ours. And, as Isaiah wrote, what can man do to me? Through faith in Jesus, we know all our sins are removed. It is not like a coin that someone can steal or we can misplace; no one can take away what we believe. His forgiveness was won for us many years ago, which cannot be undone. Forgiveness is ours; should someone ever threaten us with death, that is the promise of life with you. Our strength comes through our Savior, who brought us our forgiveness and salvation. Amen.
Pastor Roger Emmons
For everyone who walks by faith in Jesus and his forgiveness, death is a gateway to eternal life. We may not know what the new year will bring, but we know what Christ already brought—our salvation. Thank you, Lord!