Isaiah 40:1-11

1 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.

Reflection
This is the passage that spoke of John the Baptist’s calling to go and declare God’s good news to all. In the same way, after encountering God, we too are left with this same feeling of “What do I do next?” and “What should I cry out?” However, God has already given it to us. We are to go out and declare that our God is here, right now, with power, and He has come to comfort and rescue His people. He has seen what we have gone through, and knows each of the things we have done, yet He has come in forgiveness and grace to set us free from it all. This is the message that we have received through passages like this, through teachings in the church, and even in our own prayer times. Now let’s go out and share it with others!

Response
Let’s respond by asking God to fill us again with the heart to go out and share this good news with those that are wandering in the wilderness of this life. Let’s pray that our words and prayers would be effective and that many would come to know this God who has rescued us.