Comfort Ye My People

 Isaiah 40:1-11

Every time I read the beginning of this passage of Scripture from the prophet Isaiah, I immediately think of Handel’s Messiah.  When I read the first four verses, I almost always have the music playing in my mind as background accompaniment, in my mind hearing a strong tenor voice singing the verses.  Let’s look deeper into this passage, one which inspired Handel enough to include it in his beloved oratorio.

As our Scripture passage from Isaiah opens, God is speaking to His people, telling them He wishes to bring them comfort.  They had been punished by God for their many sins, and for turning away from Him.  When they repented and returned to faithful worship, He wished to bless them (vs. 1-2).  True and genuine repentance must precede divine consolation.  God will bring His comfort to those who have a saving relationship with Him.  To those, He will bring hope in the midst of suffering.   The seeds of comfort are often sown in the soil of adversity.  We often must face adversity, but we can have God’s comfort as we face it.  We find comfort and encouragement in God’s Word and in His presence.

As Isaiah continues, he instructs the people to be preparing their hearts and lives for the coming Messiah and Savior (vs. 3).  We need to remove all obstacles from our hearts for the coming Messiah through repentance from the sins in our lives.  John the Baptist was the official fulfillment of this role of preparer for Jesus the Messiah.  He reminded people of this need for repentance (Matthew 3:1-2).  Jesus, Himself, did the same (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15).

Isaiah speaks of a time when the mountains are brought low, and the crooked paths are made straight (vs. 4).  Our problems can seem like very high hills, or even like mountains. From our perspective they seem large and insurmountable.  However, when we spend time worshipping and praising God, and bringing our problems to Him in prayer, we climb to higher ground, and the problems don’t seem so huge.

The prophet continues on, reminding his audience that our lives here on earth are fleeting and comparatively brief (vs. 6-8).  Our strength and ability might seem impressive, but it is short-lived.  It is when we are at the end of ourselves that God offers us His comfort and strength.  All of humanity is transitory, here today and gone tomorrow.  Thus, we should not be trusting in our own power or ability, nor in wealth (James 1:9-11).  However, as Isaiah reminds us, God’s Word abides forever (vs. 8).

God’s Word is eternal and unfailing.  Public opinion is changing and unreliable, but God’s Word is constant.  Over the centuries critics have attacked the Word of God, but it is still standing.  They have died, but the Bible remains.  Their words are forgotten, but God’s Word is still changing lives.  We can depend on the trustworthy Word of God.

When hardships arise, we need a solid foundation on which to stand.  Our own feelings can lead us astray.  However, God is faithful and unchanging.  We can trust His promises.  The Bible is the actual Word of God.  It is truth.  It never changes.  When we believe and rely on it, we will have a sure foundation to base our lives on.

Our Scripture passage opened with God promising to bring comfort to His people, and now as Isaiah closes this portion of Scripture here, he shows us the comforting image of God caring for His people like a shepherd cares for his flock (vs. 11).  The Lord promised His people that He will be their Shepherd, guiding us in our daily lives and giving us comfort.  God is our Shepherd, caring for and guiding His flock.  He is powerful, yet careful and gentle.  We can know His gentle tender care when we are anxious, and seek His love and peace.  We know He is our Good Shepherd, holding us close to His heart, and carrying us in His everlasting arms.