The LINK: 2/22
“‘Comfort, comfort my people,’ says your God.”
We are about to enter our third year with COVID and many have become disheartened by its effect on our everyday lives, from small but irritating inconveniences to serious illnesses and death. In the midst of ongoing discouragement, the Word of God speaks comfort to us.
The idea of the word translated “comfort” in Isaiah 40:1 is to “encourage,” and it sets the tone for the entire chapter as Isaiah teaches us how there is great comfort to be found right now, and even greater hope ahead.
We are comforted by God’s Word: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). While everything else is fading, dying, or disappearing, the Word of God is not. God will make sure that His Word, and the promises it contains, will remain.
We are comforted by God’s greatness: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” (Isaiah 40:12). God’s character gives comfort when compared to our circumstances. God knows all that is happening in our world, including our pain, and holds it all within His loving hand.
We are comforted by God’s understanding: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:28). There is something comforting in knowing that while I am struggling or in pain, God is not asleep. He doesn’t look at me puzzled or without understanding where I am and what I am going through. He knows me, is fully present in my pain, and understands the needs of my heart before I do.
We are comforted by God’s strength: “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Strength in my hard circumstances is not something that I can muster up myself. I will always lack, but it comforts me to know that in God, there is unlimited strength.
The truth is that pandemics, pain, and problems won’t last. Our God - His Word, His greatness, His understanding, and His strength - will remain, always. We cling to this as our comfort. Keeping our eyes on the things of this world brings us no hope or comfort, but casting our eyes on Him will be our peace.
Yours in Christ,