Comfort my People
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I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. -
Isaiah 40:1-11
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.
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
‘Comfort and Joy’
Isaiah 40 begins with words of comfort.
In Isaiah 40v1, the prophet begins with the words ‘Comfort my people prepare the way for the Lord’ (v10)
These are words of comfort to weary people - people going through hard times. The context for the people who this was first written to was a people in exile but it is still so relevant for us here and now.
If someone offers you words of comfort it is right to ask who offered those words and can they actually help us. If someone says, ‘I’ve got your back’ it is best to look and see if they are actually reliable.
At the time of my accident a crowd gathered around me saying words of comfort, hold on, you'll be alright - but they were just words.
There was a doctor who scurried down the bank to tend to my caring - he was able to deliver comfort a the time. He was a God send.
At my darkest moment I also heard words of comfort that I could depend on it was words of the Lord saying ‘I am with you (Isa 41:10).’ Those words kept me going until I got to the haven of intensive care at Whitehaven hospital in the Lake District.
All the verses from Isaiah highlights 3 aspects of God's comfort is so dependable – Comfort of his presence, Comfort of his power, Comfort of his tenderness
Presence
Power
Tenderness
Presence
In Isaiah 41v10 ‘Do not fear I am with you, I will uphold you, I will strengthen you with my righteous right hand.’
Notice the personal I am, I will, I will - this is personal
In Isaiah 40v29 ‘He gives strength to the weary, increases the power of the weak.’ These comforting words tell us our God is an ever-present, with you always Lord. That presence meant everything to me. The little New Testament, a prize from Ahorey Presbyterian Church, survived my accident. In the weeks that followed words of comfort dropped from those pages every day, like Hebrews 13v5 ‘I will never leave you.’
When things happen we have a choice - run to God or to run away from him. ‘Lord I need you, hold me fast’ that was my response. If you run away - saying,' ‘there can't be a God because this has happened to me’ and we try and work it out for ourselves make a plan. But many things are beyond us.
In Isaiah 40 the God of comfort says - don't look at the issue, don't look within - look to me your ever-present help in times of trouble Ps 46v1. Emmanuel - God with us. Matthew 1v23 and Isaiah 7v14 are assurances of his presence.
My experience from the ravine of Honister Pass was that he was ‘with you always’ Matthew 28:20. After the accident and eight months in hospital, during that time chaplains, friends, family all visited and comforted me.
Then, in time, he has been able to use those circumstances in his service. He called me to be a chaplain in the NHS and Hospice - bringing words of comfort to turn to Jesus or hold fast to Jesus. None of this would be true if his presence is not true.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Isaiah 40:9, and in Luke 2:10 Angel said ‘…Good tidings great joy.’
Joy to the World the Lord has come. Let Earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room….
Power
Secondly the comfort of his power
Isa 40v12 Depicts God's power and his greatness. Gives us pictures. He measures the oceans in the hollow of his hand, he weighs the mountains and hills on scales. It is a picture of God almighty - beyond our understanding. Oceans are vast, see the storms this weekend (Darragh). Mountains are colossal, and yet I can imagine God walking with the mountains and two carrier bags to put them on the scales to be weighed..
Isa 40v10 ‘See the sovereign Lord comes with power and rules with a mighty arm.’
Isa 40v10 ‘Do you not know the Lord is an everlasting God- he will not grow weary and increases the power of the weak….Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.’
For my recovery from the accident and subsequent discharge from hospital I experienced a negative reaction to unanswered prayer for my healing. I lost sight of God's greatness. I began to question his power. Self pity took hold. I questioned weather the almighty God could be personal with everyone. So my prayers went like this - you don't really know me you don't see the tears I cry., lake of tears is a picture of his greatness, Like Like he holds the oceans in his hand. He holes are tears in a container - a lake of tears. And this leads us to his tenderness.
Tenderness
There is the comfort of his tenderness. See what the mighty God does with his power. (v11) He gathers his lambs and holds them close to his heart.’ That's what the Lord is like. Is tender and compassionate. That is so comforting. He invites you and I to call him father – Abba. Dad, it is a family matter. Not only does God want a personal relationship with us (as a father to a child) But we find in that relationship he is tender and lowly of heart.
NB. Isaiah 40:1, it is not necessary to repeat the word comfort for this command to make sense. By repeating comfort, comfort there is a tenderness conveyed rather like the way you would say ‘there-there’ to a child who is distressed or ‘it's OK it's OK’ to someone in tears. The prophet Isaiah voices the words of God and these are emotional words this is God longing to connect with the people being ‘with us’ and comforting us in our pain.
Christian here today no matter how small and weak you feel, here at this service, know this, you are held in these mighty arms - no one can snatch you away.
You are not like a rugby ball knocked out of the runner's hand. You are held secure close to his heart. Isaiah 40:11 ‘He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.’ This is personal, the ever-present God not God from a distance. He holds you fast, close, it is an embrace not a straight jacket - that is how he is with you now and ever shall be - close to his heart.
Story of Sandi from the book Lake of Tears pg 196.
Conclusion
If you are not a Christian I hope you will be drawn into his embrace tonight. he wants to hold you ‘close to his heart (Isaiah 40v11)’ Whether you are a Christian or not no matter how strong or feeble you feel - know this; that to be held by the Lord is not to be held at a distance but held close to his heart. Those are tidings of Comfort and joy!
Dr Mark Prince spoke about being held close to Jesus’ heart in his acceptance speech at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award 2024 (18/12/24). His son Kiyan Prince was stabbed to death (age 15). The boxing champion was not awarded for sport but for inspiring others with his campaign against knife crime. He says Jesus is the source of his resilience.
We have a choice in the ups and downs of life – to turn away from God or to turn to him. Mark Prince could truly pray ‘be near me Lord Jesus, I ask you to stay, close by me forever and love me I pray.’
We sing about a Holy night, in a Little town of Bethlehem. Hark (listen) the herald angels sing - Christ the Saviour is born.
From the stable manger to the cruel cross, he was faithful to it all.
That is what Jesus did to get close to you. What are you going to do to get close to Jesus this Christmas? Are you too busy, is it too costly, too bad – none of this compares to having Christ with us and within us. Final Reading John 1v12 ‘to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God’
Personal Prayer: O Holy Christ of Bethlehem, descend to me I pray.
Cast out my sin and enter in, be born in me today.
I hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell,
O come to me, abide with me My Lord Emmanuel.’ Amen
If you prayed that for the first time, be assured Christ Jesus is born in you today. Glad tidings of comfort & Joy
