Hope Is Here
Isaiah 40:3: "A voice cries: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'"
Isaiah chapter 40 begins with the words, "Comfort, comfort my people" (Isaiah 40:1). Isaiah prophesied that into the great darkness of the Israelites' exile, God would shine his glorious light. Hope was coming; hope that could only be found in Israel's God.
The book of Isaiah is baffling to biblical scholars. The first thirty-nine chapters told of the doom and gloom coming to the nation of Israel, while the last twenty-seven chapters are about hope and restoration for God's people. The tone change between the first half and the second half of the book is so significant that some scholars think there were two different authors. Jesus quoted from the first half of Isaiah as well as the second half, removing any doubt as to whether the prophet Isaiah wrote the entirety of the book. One author with two messages: judgment for the sin of Israel resulting in the destruction of the temple and exile followed by the grace and mercy of the Lord leading his people back into relationship with himself. God always made the way for Israel just as he always makes a way for his people today.
The beginning of Isaiah's message of restoration is the voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. For those in exile, this would have been the most glorious announcement. The Lord was coming to rescue his people. He had not forgotten them. Restoration came from the Lord as he sought out his people and promised them a new way.
Just as Isaiah's chapters of restoration begin with this announcement, so does the New Testament. In Matthew's Gospel, the first book of the New Testament, we read of John the Baptist making the same announcement Isaiah had made 746 years before the birth of Jesus. Hope for God's people is found in the revelation of the Lord. Once again, the Lord comes to his lost people; this time, he comes as God incarnate, Emmanuel.
Are you sitting in darkness today? Have the trials, viruses, and uncertainties of this life robbed you of the hope you once enjoyed in relationship with the Lord? If so, take heart. In Advent, we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Christ child while we wait eagerly for the Lord's return. Just as he saw his people in exile so many years ago, so the Lord sees us today. Just as he came to save them, he comes for us today. May we take these days of Advent to prepare our hearts, to make a way for the Lord in our lives. The king is coming - take heart!
Reflection:
How do you prepare your heart and your life for the Lord? Is there anything the Lord would have you to know this Advent season, any area of your life that he would call you to surrender or to make straight for his arrival?
Isaiah chapter 40 begins with the words, "Comfort, comfort my people" (Isaiah 40:1). Isaiah prophesied that into the great darkness of the Israelites' exile, God would shine his glorious light. Hope was coming; hope that could only be found in Israel's God.
The book of Isaiah is baffling to biblical scholars. The first thirty-nine chapters told of the doom and gloom coming to the nation of Israel, while the last twenty-seven chapters are about hope and restoration for God's people. The tone change between the first half and the second half of the book is so significant that some scholars think there were two different authors. Jesus quoted from the first half of Isaiah as well as the second half, removing any doubt as to whether the prophet Isaiah wrote the entirety of the book. One author with two messages: judgment for the sin of Israel resulting in the destruction of the temple and exile followed by the grace and mercy of the Lord leading his people back into relationship with himself. God always made the way for Israel just as he always makes a way for his people today.
The beginning of Isaiah's message of restoration is the voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. For those in exile, this would have been the most glorious announcement. The Lord was coming to rescue his people. He had not forgotten them. Restoration came from the Lord as he sought out his people and promised them a new way.
Just as Isaiah's chapters of restoration begin with this announcement, so does the New Testament. In Matthew's Gospel, the first book of the New Testament, we read of John the Baptist making the same announcement Isaiah had made 746 years before the birth of Jesus. Hope for God's people is found in the revelation of the Lord. Once again, the Lord comes to his lost people; this time, he comes as God incarnate, Emmanuel.
Are you sitting in darkness today? Have the trials, viruses, and uncertainties of this life robbed you of the hope you once enjoyed in relationship with the Lord? If so, take heart. In Advent, we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Christ child while we wait eagerly for the Lord's return. Just as he saw his people in exile so many years ago, so the Lord sees us today. Just as he came to save them, he comes for us today. May we take these days of Advent to prepare our hearts, to make a way for the Lord in our lives. The king is coming - take heart!
Reflection:
How do you prepare your heart and your life for the Lord? Is there anything the Lord would have you to know this Advent season, any area of your life that he would call you to surrender or to make straight for his arrival?
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