December 8 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Isaiah 40:1-11:

¹Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
²Speak ye 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.
³The 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.
⁴Every 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:
⁵And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
⁶The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
⁷The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
⁸The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
⁹O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
¹⁰Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
¹¹He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Devotional

"What is thine only comfort in life and in death? That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not mine own, but belong to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ." Heidelberg Catechism 1).

Life is full of sorrow and suffering. God wants us to have comfort in our sin and misery. He has provided it, rich and abundant. We are not our own, but we belong unto him. He is our God, and we are his people. He has loved us from all eternity, and has made full provision for us. He has redeemed us from all sin and all the power of the devil; He preserves us; He makes all things work for our salvation; He assures us of eternal life, and makes us heartily willing and ready to live unto him. Our comfort consists in all these things. People seek com­fort in other things—riches, honor, pleasure, but there is no other comfort that will last in all circumstances of life, and that will abide with us in death. This is the only comfort. And it is all-sufficient. In spite of adversities, sorrows, and tribulations, we still can rejoice in the Lord. And death has lost its terrors. It is an entrance into life.

"Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting con­solation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work." Amen.

Prayer

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation; that we may be able to com­fort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. We thank Thee, O God, that in our tribulation and manifold afflictions we have the abundant consolation, which is in Jesus Christ; for as we are partakers of the sufferings of Christ, so shall we be also of the consolation. For this we would praise Thee now and for ever. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Heb. 3:17, 18; 2 Thess. 2:16, 17.

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