Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

— Isaiah 40:1

The book of Isaiah is sometimes called “the gospel of the Old Testament” because it announces the good news (gospel) of the coming of God’s servant, the Messiah, who is Jesus Christ. In chapters 1-39, Isaiah writes about history. And in the rest of the book he delivers a message of comfort, restoration, and hope.Comfort has its source in God. Only the Lord can bring peace to the human soul. Only God can forgive sins, and only in God do we find redemption.True comfort does not come from earthly things. It does not come from people. Comfort comes from God.We cannot find full comfort in various therapies or in self-help psychology. True comfort cannot be found on a couch or in a gym. We do not find our greatest comfort by enjoying the most splendid vacations or the most appetizing pleasures. Comfort cannot be acquired with money or inherited from parents. Real comfort is the work of God. God is both the source and the giver of this gift.Isaiah the prophet is ordered to comfort the people of God. But how? Not with flattering words or deceptive praise. True comfort can only be experienced when we turn to God, the inexhaustible source of grace. God alone can cancel our debt and forgive our sins. True comfort can only be found in God.

God of all comfort, only you can fill our deepest needs. Throughout this month, help us to find our only comfort in you by hearing from and living into your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.