A crowded shopping mall, a queue to see Santa, two boys running wild, and an elf’s question about whose children these actually are. The father answers, half joking, that he has not decided yet, and from that scene begins a reflection on the fortieth chapter of Isaiah (Isaiah 40), where God finally answers, after years of silence, whose people these are. The sermon shows why the prophet’s comfort is not a pat on the head but a promise of strength, and why the one who holds power and the one who has lost everything stand in the same danger of unbelief. Listen and find out why the Father’s coming does not depend on whether you believe in it.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Isaiah 40:1-2 God says "comfort my people" to people who, after years of exile in Babylon with their temple in ruins, wondered whether they still belonged to Him. What might those words have meant to them?
- Verses 3-5 speak of mountains made low and valleys raised on the road from Babylon. What does this picture say about who really does the work when God comes to His people?
- The speaker pointed out that God says "my people" and "your God." In what situations do you find it hard to believe that you belong to God and that He claims you as His own?
- According to the sermon, both those in power and those in despair can stop believing, and all of them fade like grass. Which of these two kinds of unbelief feels closer to you, and why?
- How does it change your thinking that God comes regardless of whether we believe it, because His word stands forever?
- Isaiah portrays God as a shepherd who carries the lambs and gently leads. In what difficult matter this week do you want to receive His comfort and strength instead of climbing uphill alone?
