Devotions this week based on the Message: “Believe the COMFORT of Christmas!”
Isaiah 40:1 “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.”
Do you need some comfort this Christmas?
Somewhere in your life I am sure you are wanting someone to say, “It’s going to be OK.”
Maybe you are facing a diagnosis of cancer.
Maybe you are struggling to make ends meet with the inflation going on in our country.
Maybe you are concerned about the latest variant of CoVid 19.
Maybe you are facing unemployment, divorce, or separation from your children.
Maybe your heart is just full of worry, anxiety and stress for many different reasons.
Wouldn’t you like to crawl up in the lap of the Almighty God and have him whisper in your ear, “It’s going to be OK. I love you.”
This is the picture Isaiah’s words “Comfort, comfort” invites us to picture. God wants Isaiah to invite the people of Israel back into a personal connection with him. Isaiah had been harsh with God’s word of judgment and condemnation for their lives drifting from the Lord and the subsequent hardship that came as a result of their sin.
It was time to comfort their souls and let them know that the consequence and reality of sin was NOT going to be the end game.
As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we may be facing different hardships as a direct or indirect result of sin in our lives or just in the world in general. It’s the broken world around us and our sinful nature within us that robs us of our peace, fills our minds with worry, and seeks to find solutions for life in anything but the Lord.
To try to find comfort, some semblance of peace this Christmas, it can be tempting to seek escape and comfort in food, experiences, shopping, or addictions. The comfort all of these offer is temporary at best and non-existent at worst.
So take up your Savior and the invitation Isaiah gives:
Crawl into the lap of your Savior this Christmas and let his love, his peace, his forgiveness bring true comfort to your heart and life.
Apply: What is causing your worry, stress or anxiety this Christmas season? If you were sitting in the lap of God, what would he say to you?
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for inviting us to sit in your lap and receive your word of comfort this Christmas! AMEN.
PS – Don’t forget Advent by Candlelight on Wednesday, December 1 at 7pm (6pm soup supper). Join us in-person or online!