Isaiah 40:1-4 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak yet comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.
Do you ever have trouble getting to sleep? You might be tired and sleepy, but when you lay down you are wide awake. You toss and turn; you cannot get settled down; you cannot get comfortable. Do you realize that God wants us to be comfortable? There is no reason why we cannot have and keep true comfort in our souls. God satisfies our being; He never fails.
The things God provides always provide comfort. When we mean business with God, we will have peace. The comfortable spot is there, so why is it then that it is hard to get comfortable? Let's search out why.
Verse 2 speaks of two things that make us uncomfortable. One is unrepented sin. It will stick us like lying on a bed of nails. Sin pricks us, brings condemnation, fear, and uncertainty–discomfort. We have moved away from God when we keep unrepented sin in our lives. Deal with that and comfort will come.
The second thing we find in verse 2 is the warfare. We sometimes find ourselves putting up a fight in dealing with Christianity. The Bible tells us to deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow Jesus. When we resist God we deny the Lord, not ourselves. We are miserable because we struggle with the commands of God–the precepts of Christianity. We want our way. Jacob struggled all night before he realized that he had been wrestling with God all his life.
Are you happy? Do you try to write your own Bible and not follow God's word? There is no comfort in resisting God. Professing Jesus and doing your own thing will not work. One will never be saved until he realizes that the change comes from God, not himself. We will never have comfort until we step up to the plate and follow the Master. Jesus said he gives peace, not as the world gives. In another place he said, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. We cannot harbor sin and have comfort. The warfare is accomplished; the battle is over. Take it to the Lord, and you will be comforted.
Verse 3 says to make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Surrender the weapons, whatever they may be. God will win anyway. We cannot go up against God; we cannot match him. Surrender the variance, the indifference, the waywardness and present your life as a living sacrifice. Ask God to renew your mind and find the comfort that comes from a pardon of sins. Make a good prisoner of the Lord, give in to him.
Verse 4 speaks of valleys and mountains and crooked and rough places. If you find yourself in the discomfort of a valley, God can raise you up. If you find yourself always on the mountain, maybe you exalt yourself too much; let God humble you. Are there crooked ways in your life? God can straighten them out. The rough edges, and we all have them, can be made plain–be smoothed out.
All these take away from our comfort and make us resist God. Come to him and say, "Lord, I lay down my arms and present myself to you." You will find comfort. You will be pleasing to the Lord. Come to God and be comforted.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 