Have you noticed children's obsession with adhesive bandages? It seems like every child goes through a time in which they desire to have a bandage on their – “boo-boos,” “owies,” “bobos,” “oucheys,” or other injuries! No matter how big or small the abrasion, cut, scrape, bump, or bruise, applying that bandage seems to make it all better. It feels even better when a mom or dad kisses the “boo-boo” and tells them, “Everything will be OK.” God Comforts focuses on the comfort Jesus brings to those who trust in Him.
Isaiah 49:1-13 tells about how God will bring comfort to His people. After telling them about the decades of Babylonian captivity and exile from their land, God promised to rescue the remnant nation. When the exile ended, God would accomplish the restoration of His people in a way that would make the nations stand in awe. He would bless His people, and the nations would worship God. He would accomplish this through the work of the Servant of the Lord.
God stepped into history and revealed to Israel that the Servant of the Lord – the Comforter and Redeemer – would offer comfort in ways no one else could. Jesus is the ideal Servant and ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise. As the Servant-Messiah, He’s “the light of the world” (John 8:12), offering salvation to the ends of the earth, and the One to whom, one day, “every knee will bow” (Romans14:11; Philippians 2:10). As benefactors of the fulfilled promise, we should celebrate with joyous praise (Isaiah 49:13).
What comfort it is to know that, in His compassion, God had a plan to redeem and reconcile us back to Himself. As the Thanksgiving and holiday season approaches, seek opportunities to comfort those in need. We all realize there are many who need the light of Christ so that they can find their way through all they are facing.
As God’s servants, may we find comfort in knowing He includes us in His redemptive plan, calls us to spread His message of salvation, and justifies us now and for eternity.
DOWNLOADABLE STUDY HELPS
