Isaiah 40:1-5
Isaiah chapter 40 starts out calmly with instructions from
God, “Comfort, comfort my people.” This is a departure from the earlier part of
Isaiah’s book which included many harsh warnings. Isaiah lived in a time of civil
war, a time when people cared more about their appearances then the poor, when
alcoholism and idolatry were rampant. I can’t help but think that’s a little
like the time we live in. And I can’t help but think that God’s instructions to
comfort His people apply just as much now as they did then.
This section of Isaiah goes on to remind us to raise up
every valley and make every mountain and hill low, so that the glory of the
Lord will be revealed. But are we really expected to clear the roads and straighten
the paths for Jesus? Physically? Emotionally? How can we know just what to do
and how can we do it in this society that encourages just the opposite?
Christmas is the perfect time, and the perfect excuse, to
“prepare ye the way of the Lord”. It’s a time to breech the gap, to find peace,
to reach out to people near and far. To “comfort, comfort my people”. I keep
thinking about the three times this year when I found myself mourning family
members, grieving alongside my mother, my father and my sister. I keep thinking
about the comfort those around us provided. Hugs, kind words, a casserole, a
spray of flowers, sitting down to watch a ball game in silence next to us.
Something so little, something taken for granted most of the time, meant so much.
It meant comfort. It meant someone was helping to prepare for the glory of God
to be revealed. It meant love.
Prayer for today: Lord, help us in this time of preparation
for the baby Jesus’ birth, to not only make the paths and valleys and mountains
right but to comfort one another and love one another, just as you love us.
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