Do you remember going to the school nurse when you fell off the monkey bars or skinned your knee on the sidewalk, and she covered your scrape with medicine? She would put iodine or mercurochrome (if you’re old enough to remember that stuff) on the spot and you would think, “This medicine actually hurts worse than banging up my leg!” But she did it to fight off possible infection. That medicine was burning away germs for our own good. Sometimes the thing that’s best for us is actually painful, which is a helpful mindset as we read Isaiah 12:4 – “In that day you will say: ‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.’” As I read this verse, my first question is, “What does in that day mean?” In the chapters before this one, the prophet Isaiah talks about Israel’s sins and how God would use foreign nations to punish them. But God’s punishment isn’t from a hatred of His people. It’s actually the opposite! Chapter 10 gives us the image of trees being cut down and destroyed. Then chapter 11 talks about a shoot, a little surviving piece of a tree which he calls the stump of Jesse. That’s the father of David and a person in the lineage of Christ. It’s here we start seeing that phrase: “in that day,” like “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples…” Isaiah warns that the punishment is coming because that’s the only way to bring God’s children back to Him, but in that day God will restore His people. It’s a reminder to remain hopeful and trust God through hard times. This may seem like a stretch, but this verse speaks to me about the long journey of parenting. Sometimes as parents we need to be told that it’s just part of the job description for our kids to be mad at us. I’m guessing it’s a rare occurrence for any kid to initially receive correction and admonishment in a positive way. Most likely, we won’t hear them say, “Thank you for fussing at me, mom, you’re doing a great job holding me to a higher standard.” But I’m here to tell you that you’ve got to do the hard work of being consistent and persistent when you’re raising your kids. You don’t want to exasperate them, like Ephesians 6 warns us about, but don’t be afraid to make them mad at you. When I read this verse, I also see a call to praise God. We talk a lot about what God does for us and how our sins affect us, but starting each day in a position of praise is not only good for our souls and an honest reaction to what He’s done for us, but it’s a command. Like in Psalm 150: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” If you’re reading this right now, that means you. So, like Isaiah said…”Give praise to the Lord. Proclaim his name. Make known among the nations what he has done.”