Tuesday Devotions: Comfort From Isaiah 40:1-11

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Study with me today, friend? I'm looking at comfort from Isaiah. Whatever your sorrow, whatever your hardship, whatever has cast down your spirit, Scripture and prayer are your answer. We waste so much time looking for comfort elsewhere, when really, the first thing we should have done is get that Bible in our hands. If you don't have a study Bible, look up your desired verses on Bible Gateway and click on "show references". A few Bible commentaries should appear at your right.

Isaiah 40:1-11
Judah's time of judgment has come to an end (vv. 1-2), the exiles will return home via the desert highway (vv. 3-5), the hated kingdom (Babylon) will wither (vv. 6-8), Jerusalem will prepare for the return (vv. 9-10), and God will accomplish it (v. 11). While these words were meant for sixth-century Jewish exiles, like all prophetic words, their meaning is expansive. This scene was reenacted with paradigmatic force in the preparation by John the Baptist for the coming of the Christ, who continues to lead his people into freedom. (These notes from Asbury Bible Commentary)

1 Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.

3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”

9 You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.

Copy the last verse and put in on your bathroom mirror:

11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.

When I read this last verse especially, I'm reminded that all is well with my soul, with my life, with my today and my tomorrow. Scripture reminds us of God's infinite love and infinite power. It reminds us that "the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever." It reminds us that our peace comes when we shift our focus from the temporal back to the eternal.

The peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding, it goes away when we take our eyes off of Him. Turmoil in our hearts doesn't feel like a choice, but it is. When we choose to neglect Bible and prayer, we choose turmoil. If our minds are so troubled we can't form coherent sentences, we can pray in spirit and groans. He will understand.

A very good reason, besides our own comfort, to pursue God daily is to aid our witness. We are supposed to be a people at peace, a people of God--not perfect, but redeemed and grateful for it, like the bold, broken woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears, and like the leper who threw himself at Jesus' feet in thankfulness and worship. We need this same heart. This same humility. And it's the Word and prayer that restore us to these humble positions.

We need the Bible friend. We need it.

Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4