Comfort My People: Preparing the Way of Advent

Devotional

Day 1: God offers comfort; exile and suffering end.

The Lord speaks a clear word of comfort to his people, promising that hard service and exile are ended and that sin has been paid for. This comfort is not vague optimism but the assurance that God is at work to bring restoration and double blessing. In Advent this word meets those who are grieving, anxious, or weary — reminding them that God remembers and will make things right. [49:01]

Isaiah 40:1-2 (NIV)
“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.
“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.”

Reflection: What one grief, burden, or “hard service” in your life do you need to bring honestly before God this week, asking him to bring comfort and restoration? What is one small, practical step you will take to receive that comfort (a prayer time, asking for help, or intentional Sabbath rest)?

Day 2: Prepare the way; make straight the Lord's path.

The call to “prepare the way” is both prophetic and practical: hearts are the wilderness to be cleared so God’s highway can run through them. Advent invites active preparation—lowering mountains of pride and filling valleys of indifference—so the glory of the Lord can be revealed among all people. This preparation shapes attitudes and actions as the congregation readies itself to welcome the coming King. [54:47]

Isaiah 40:3-5 (NIV)
A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Reflection: Which “mountain” in your life (a stubborn habit, an anxious schedule, or a prideful attitude) needs to be lowered this Advent so God’s path can be straightened? Name one concrete habit you will change this week to begin that work.

Day 3: Proclaim boldly: Here is your God.

The summons to “go up on a high mountain” is a charge to proclaim hope without timidity; Advent emboldens those who bring good news to lift their voices. The message “Here is your God” is for towns and neighborhoods as much as for church buildings — it is good news to be spoken and lived. Ordinary people are sent to announce God’s presence and action so others might see and believe. [54:47]

Isaiah 40:9 (NIV)
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!”

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear “Here is your God” this week, and what specific words or concrete action will you use to bring that good news to them?

Day 4: The sovereign Lord comes with power and recompense.

The coming of the sovereign Lord carries both power and recompense—God will make wrongs right, reward mercy, and vindicate the afflicted. Recompense here is restorative, not petty; it is the reversal of injustice where the last are first and the meek are raised. Advent reminds the church that God is not passive about evil but will set things straight in his timing and wisdom. [57:58]

Isaiah 40:10 (NIV)
See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and his arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.

Reflection: What injustice or long‑standing hurt do you need to bring before the Lord, trusting him for his recompense rather than taking matters into your own hands? What would waiting on God’s timing look like for you in this situation?

Day 5: The Lord is the gentle shepherd who cares.

The image of the shepherd who gathers lambs and carries them close shows the tender care of God for the weak and the lost. In Advent that tenderness becomes the visible promise in Jesus, the Good Shepherd who seeks the wounded and brings them home. Believers are called to reflect that gentleness in how they serve one another and attend to the hurting around them. [01:00:35]

Isaiah 40:11 (NIV)
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: Identify one person in your circle who feels like a “lost sheep”—what practical way can you carry them this week (a phone call, a visit, a meal, specific prayers), and when will you do it?

Sermon Summary

Advent begins with both longing and light. We gathered to sing, to remember those we’ve lost, to celebrate surprising healings, and to ready our hearts for the coming of Jesus. Into our mixed stories of joy and grief, I turned us to Isaiah 40, where God commands, “Comfort, comfort my people.” Israel knew the ache of invasion, exile, and disappointment; they also knew what it means to hold promises across generations when empires don’t change overnight. God spoke tenderly to a battered people and promised a new thing—an end to captivity, a return, a future.

That promise moves toward fulfillment in the announcements to Mary and Joseph, and in the voice of John crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Preparation is not cosmetic; it is leveling work. Valleys lifted, mountains made low—proud hearts humbled, weary ones strengthened, rough places in us made straight for the King. Isaiah’s word about “recompense” jolts us: God brings compensation, not as a payout, but as a setting-right of what evil has broken. In Jesus, the kingdom reorders the world—the last become first, the meek inherit, mercy flows to the merciful. This is not wishful thinking; it is the character of God arriving in person.

Isaiah then paints the Lord as a shepherd who gathers lambs and carries them close to his heart. This is the Jesus who binds wounds, seeks the lost, shoulders the weak. I named the faces we know: the single mother juggling bills and childcare; the young man wondering if love will find him; the senior waiting on test results; people living under the threat of violence, praying for peace. Advent does not deny the dark; it lights one small candle and promises more light each week until we behold the true Light of the world.

So we prepare: our hearts, our attitudes, our actions. We make room for the One who comforts the afflicted and confronts the proud, who comes with power and tenderness, justice and mercy. In this waiting, hope isn’t thin optimism; it’s trust that the God who spoke through Isaiah and came in Jesus is still making all things new. Prepare the way of the Lord. Welcome him again. Let him be your hope—today and forever.

Key Takeaways

1. Comfort spoken into real exile God’s command, “Comfort, comfort,” is not sentimental; it’s spoken to people with ruins in their rearview and uncertainty ahead. God’s comfort acknowledges wounds and then promises presence and action. Real comfort doesn’t shortcut grief; it holds us steady while God does the long work of restoration. [49:01]
2. Prepare the way: level the heart Advent preparation is moral and spiritual excavation—bringing down our pride and lifting our shame. We consent to God’s grading of the inner terrain so Christ can travel freely through us. When the high is made low and the low lifted, community becomes a highway for hope. [54:47]
3. Christ brings recompense that rights wrongs Recompense means God’s justice-making arrives with him; he compensates for losses the world cannot repay. In Jesus’ kingdom, the overlooked are seen and the powerful are humbled, not out of vengeance but redemption. This is the good news the poor can bank on and the proud must reckon with. [57:58]
4. The Shepherd holds us close God’s power is not cold; it is tender enough to carry lambs against his chest. In Christ, strength and gentleness meet—he seeks, binds, and bears us when we cannot walk. The nearness of the Shepherd is often the miracle that sustains us while we wait for other miracles. [60:35]
5. Hope shines brighter in Advent waiting Lighting one candle at a time teaches us that God’s light grows within ordinary days. Hope is cultivated by small acts of faithful preparation and trust in the Light who has come and is coming. Waiting, then, is not empty time; it is training our eyes for glory. [63:08]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:00] - Advent begins and carol request
[03:00] - First candle and Alpha group
[04:30] - Christmas Eve drama invitation
[06:00] - Memorials and prayers for families
[07:30] - Thanks, birthdays, anniversaries
[32:09] - Art sale and offering envelopes
[35:16] - Healing testimony and pastoral prayer
[36:30] - Learning to offer real comfort
[49:01] - “Comfort, comfort my people”
[51:36] - Angelic announcements to Mary and Joseph
[54:47] - Prepare the way in the wilderness
[57:58] - Recompense and kingdom reversals
[60:35] - The Good Shepherd gathers us
[63:08] - Advent light and call to prepare

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Isaiah 40:1–11 — 1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” 6 A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. 9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” 10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Observation Questions

Isaiah begins with the doubled command, “Comfort, comfort my people.” What does the repetition suggest about God’s tone and purpose toward a people who have known exile and loss? [49:01]
The call “Prepare the way of the Lord” uses images of valleys lifted and mountains made low. What concrete actions or inner changes does that image evoke (what gets “leveled” or “raised” in ordinary life)? [54:47]
Verse 10 uses the word “recompense” (reward/compensation). What kinds of wrongs or losses is this promise addressing in the passage’s original context? [57:58]
Isaiah finishes with the shepherd who carries lambs close to his heart. What details in verse 11 show both strength and tenderness in God’s care? [01:00:35]

Interpretation Questions

How does the command to “comfort” function as both recognition of suffering and a promise of action—what does that teach about God’s way of consoling a broken people? [49:01]
In what ways should “making straight a highway” be read as moral excavation rather than merely religious ritual—what internal obstacles is the text calling to be removed? [54:47]
If “recompense” is God’s setting-right of what evil has broken, how does that reshape expectations of justice for those who have suffered long-term injustice or loss? [57:58]
The shepherd image blends seeking the lost, binding wounds, and carrying the weak. How does that composite image affect theological thinking about God’s power—does it redefine power itself? [01:00:35]

Application Questions

Comfort is meant for people who are hurt, not a way to rush past grief. Who in your life needs patient, steady comfort this week, and what one concrete thing will you do to “speak tenderly” to them? [49:01]
Preparing the way is about inner leveling—pride lowered and shame lifted. What one prideful habit or hidden shame will you ask God to level in you this Advent, and what practical step will you take to cooperate with that work? [54:47]
If God brings “recompense” that rights wrongs, what personal or communal injustice do you need to entrust to God’s setting-right rather than trying to control the outcome yourself? How will you practice that trust this month? [57:58]
The Shepherd carries the lambs close to his heart. Who around you needs the nearness of a faithful presence, and how can you be that presence—practically and gently—this week? [01:00:35]
Advent light grows candle by candle. What small, repeatable spiritual practice will you commit to each week of Advent to increase your expectant hope (for example: a daily scripture reading, a short act of service, or a time of silence)? [01:03:08]
Community can be a highway for hope when people help one another be ready for the Lord. What is one concrete way this group can help a member prepare their heart or remove an obstacle in the coming weeks? [54:47]

Sermon Clips

Some clung to the promises made through the prophet Isaiah and others that the Lord would bring about a time, bring about a year, bring about a leader who would finally set them free. And they hoped and they prayed and they trusted in the Lord to bring that about in his own timing. Do not lose hope, says the Lord, for I am doing a new thing. [00:50:53] (32 seconds) #GodIsDoingANewThing

An angel appeared to a young woman and said to her, do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for you and for all nations, for you shall conceive in your womb by the power of the Holy Spirit and you shall bear a son and you shall name him Jesus. He will rule on the throne of his ancestor David and he will be called the Son of the Most High. What hope came with that greeting. [00:51:28] (42 seconds) #GoodNewsForAll

The angel appeared to a young man and said, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Such hope, such promise. The Lord was doing a new thing. [00:52:09] (30 seconds) #TrustThePromise

Prepare the way for the Lord and the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all people, all people will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord, the Lord has spoken. All people will see it together. What a word of hope, what a word of promise. And yet the generations went by and the people of Israel were still waiting for this promise to be fully fulfilled. [00:53:13] (36 seconds) #GloryRevealed

It was the merciful who would receive mercy, that it was the peacemakers who would be called children of God, that those who have been suffering, striving for the sake of righteousness, for the sake of godliness and who have been ill-treated, who have been persecuted, who have been lied to and manipulated, abused, killed even, that God would reconcile them, God would reward them, God would make right the evil and the harm that had been done. [00:58:52] (46 seconds) #BlessedAreTheMerciful

That is what it will be to live in the kingdom of God, where the weak and the meek and the lowly, the poor are raised up and those who consider themselves great mountains of strength and wisdom and power will be brought low. His compensation will accompany him. What a beautiful thought. That is the kingdom of God that's at work in us and throughout his church in the world. [00:59:38] (47 seconds) #KingdomUpsideDown

Again, the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, the good shepherd who loves and cares for all who are entrusted to him, tending their wounds, seeking out the lost sheep, lifting them and placing them on his shoulders and carrying them safely home. What a beautiful prophecy Isaiah was given about the coming of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, hundreds of years before he was born. [01:00:59] (35 seconds) #GoodShepherdCare

To the people of Israel and people in our world today whose lands are occupied by foreign powers, who are under constant threat of attack from neighboring countries or neighboring towns and they're just hoping and praying for peace. This world can be a very dark place at times, and then in this season of Advent we represent the fact that Jesus Christ coming into the world is the light of the world, a light shining in the darkness. [01:02:56] (43 seconds) #LightInDarkness

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