‘Comfort, Comfort Now My People’
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:1-5
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her . . . that her sin has been paid for. . . . — Isaiah 40:1-2
“Comfort, Comfort Now My People” is an old song with a powerful message. It is based on Isaiah 40:1-5, which gives hope to God’s people. It provides hope that our comfort will come.
In this song we sing about a prophet who was called to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist was that prophet (see Mark 1:1-11; John 1:19-34); he came to “prepare the way for the Lord.” John called people to repentance, preparing their hearts for the coming Savior. His work renews our hope that God fulfills his promise to comfort his people.
At the birth of Jesus, God fulfills his promise of bringing comfort. Jesus comes for the purpose of saving us from our sins. The Bible tells us that our sin has been paid for by Jesus’ death on the cross. Because Jesus has paid for our sins, we have comfort in knowing that we can find true peace and rest in him. Whenever we face struggles and challenges, we can remember that our comfort is in Christ.
The Heidelberg Catechism asks, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” And it answers, “That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”
There is no greater comfort to be found than in Christ alone.
Lord Jesus, whenever we are discouraged, frustrated, or grieving, help us to find comfort in you, in you alone. Amen.