Comfort ye My People
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God (Isaiah 40:1 KJV)
The LORD wants to comfort us, His people! He says, “comfort ye, comfort ye My people”. These words were spoken to the Jews who had gone through the fire of God’s judgment for their sins. The LORD told Isaiah to bring words of comfort to His people.
The word “comfort” means to alleviate someone’s sorrow and provide them with emotional strength. Sorrow weakens our hearts, and when we are emotionally pressured for a long time, we will most likely break down. Comfort soothes our emotional pain and strengthens our hearts. God is a God of comfort. In the 2nd verse He says:
“Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, That her warfare is accomplished, That her iniquity is pardoned…..” (Isaiah 40:2 ).
The good news to Jerusalem was that her warfare was over and her sins were forgiven. Think of the battles we have in life. Some of us have been battling a sin for many years. Some people have battled an addiction such as pornography for 50 plus years. They lived their entire lives fighting. Some have fought with depression or bitterness for 75 years—almost an entire lifetime. Maybe you have just started fighting with insecurity or inferiority complex for about a year now. Yes, sometimes, it is a financial battle or even a disease.
The Lord wants to bring us to rest and comfort from our battles. Contrary to the God our christian religion has created in our minds, the Lord does not take some special delight in our sufferings. Many of us cannot even imagine for a second that God wants us happy in life. In fact, we think happiness is a mark of ungodliness. Sin, the weaknesses of our flesh that often require hardship to address and God’s relationship with Israel through the Law in the Old Testament have marred our image of who God is.
He is a loving Father. Yes, He wants you comforted. Yes, He is asking His servants not to condemn and strike you down emotionally. He says “comfort ye My people”. Oh yes, He will never comfort us in our sins as some people will want to corrupt messages like this. However, He says there is comfort and rest for the righteous.
MEDITATE
What is the meaning of comfort as used above? Please think through and speak out the words above.
APPLY THE WORD
God knows you need comfort. He wants to soothe that emotional pain, financial nightmare or health calamity. He delights in comforting His people, not judging them. Rest in the comfort of your Savior.
PRAY
Thank the Father for the comfort He has given us in Christ.
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