“I,
even I, am He who comforts you.” Isaiah 51:12
Isaiah 51:3 sets the tone for this
chapter. “For the Lord will comfort Zion.”
Isaiah 40:1, the beginning verse of this entire section of Isaiah 40-66, begins
like this, “’Comfort, yes comfort My
people’, says your God.” Isaiah 66, the last chapter of this final
twenty-seven chapter section of Isaiah says, “So I will comfort you and you shall be comforted.” These
twenty-seven chapters contain repeated warnings against idolatry and false
worship. They continue repeated warnings of the consequences of ignoring God.
But through it all God wants to remind them that it is His purpose to comfort
them and not give them up to destruction.
Our sins justly require God to judge
us and condemn us, but that is not the greatest desire of God. His desire is
that we would repent of our sins, trust His Son, and receive His comfort. Like
a shepherd picking up and carrying a little hurt lamb, God wants to comfort us.
In turn He wants us to take His comfort and share it with those who are also in
need of it.
Dear Father, Thank You for Your
compassion and comfort. Amen.
The
Friday Benediction
Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop
you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in
the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be
enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend. Amen
Abundant Grace can be found at my website, www.davidccraig.net. You can subscribe to
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