Thanks In Advance

A Reflection on the Psalm for December 12th, 2021:
Third Sunday of Advent

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Isaiah 12

R. Shout aloud and sing for joy: great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 

R. Shout aloud and sing for joy: great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. 

R. Shout aloud and sing for joy: great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. 

R. Shout aloud and sing for joy: great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
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When I worked in customer service, I often dealt with difficult or angry people. Early on I discovered a simple trick for defusing them: I’d apologize for whatever had gone wrong, and then say something like, “I really appreciate your patience while we figure this out!” or “Thanks for being so understanding, now let’s get this resolved!” Of course, they hadn’t been patient or understanding — yet. But what I learned is that people often live up to the expectations you set. When I thanked people for being the kind of person I wanted them to be, the overwhelming majority of them chose to be kind.


Isaiah’s song in the psalm for this Sunday was written during a time of exile and hardship. Through the prophecies of Isaiah, the people of Israel learned that their exile was a punishment for their sins. Some would have been angry with God. Others might have wanted to repent. But Isaiah does something strange — he leads the Israelites in a song of praise for God’s power and love, which makes up the text of today’s psalm.


Isaiah is encouraging us to do with God the same thing I did with angry customers. Isaiah wants us to thank God in advance, to praise Him when things are tough. Praising God when life is hard is an act of trust: we have to trust that He hasn’t abandoned us, that He has good gifts to give us, that He can help us make sense of our suffering. We’re called to shout aloud and sing for joy, on good days and bad, because God promises He’s with us no matter what.


I know firsthand that this isn’t easy. I have a complainer’s heart, and I don’t hesitate to go to God with a laundry list of things I want Him to fix. There’s nothing wrong with that — our God wants to be with us in all things, and He wants us to bring our sorrows and frustrations to Him. From the story of the unjust judge who gives in to the pestering widow, to the parable of the friend who’s annoyed into sharing bread at midnight, Jesus encourages us to pester God incessantly. But I can get so caught up in all the things I want Him to make right that I forget to spend time in praise, too. So I appreciate Isaiah’s reminder to thank God in advance.


Prayer isn’t transactional. I don’t buy God’s love with rosaries said or earn answers to my prayers through time in Adoration. Prayer is relational — the goal of prayer is to reconnect ourselves with God and be refilled with His love. So this week, let’s praise God for what He hasn’t done yet, give thanks for gifts He has yet to give us, and tell the world of His goodness in our driest spells. God is no angry customer — He will always choose to be kind to us. He can’t wait to hear from you!




Jenna Young

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