Isaiah 40:1-5 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 40:1-5 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 40Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Verse 2Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.
Verse 3A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Verse 4Every 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. Verse 5Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
Devotion
The prophet imagines a procession from the land of exile back to the land of Zion. The Lord will lead the way on this road to restoration. Wilderness sheds its association with desolation and danger, becoming a site for triumphant renewal. No longer is it a place one goes to die; now it is a place one travels through, following the Lord. There is nothing private about this migration, for in it God’s glory becomes observable to all people. Israel’s return from exile offers nothing less than a manifestation of the Lord’s glory. It is a political spectacle; all the nations witness it as the Lord reigns. The people of God simply follow the leader.
Prayer
Rulers and nations rise and fall. But you, our Deliverer, promise to have the last word. Look upon the world’s suffering; grant us confidence in your glory and humility as we serve our neighbors. Amen.