“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. [Isaiah 40:1]

There is a whole lot of discomfort going around these days. Certainly, on personal levels: the news of marital turmoil and bad health reports and the ache of loneliness or even financial stresses are plentiful and very uncomfortable. And on the macro scale: we experience the unending deadly wars, the global economic and political fears, the pervasive culture of distrust and half-truths. We are people in need of comfort.

Where can we find comfort? These words from God in Isaiah 40 come after 39 chapters of doom and divine rebukes. Then, like a ray of sunshine in a stormy sky, hope breaks through. The comfort God offers is more than just the kind and often empty words we receive from others: “It will be fine”; “You’ll come through this a better person”; or even “I know, you’ll be just fine.” Thanks, but those are not helpful.

True and reality-based comfort is found in the person and character of our God. His comfort is plentiful and continuous (note the repetition of the word “comfort”). And his comfort is personal (“my people”). As Christians (like the Jews in Isaiah’s day) we are God’s own people, chosen by him in Christ. The comfort comes from his presence and care. And from the fact that he has the power and plan to alleviate our troubles. (The remainder of Isaiah 40 describes the hope that God offers—hint: it prophetically points us to Christ!)

Regardless of how dire our present situation, we can be confident that our God wants to give deep joy and perfect peace.

When you get a moment, meditate on these comforting words of hope:
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though the flocks disappear from the pen
and there are no herds in the stalls,
yet I will celebrate in the LORD;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
The LORD my Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like those of a deer
and enables me to walk on mountain heights!
[Habakkuk 3:17–19]

For your reading accompaniment: “Comfort Ye, My People” from Handel’s Messiah (I couldn’t resist)
Those familiar with Handel’s Messiah can’t help but hear the great oratorio as the verses of Isaiah 40 are read.

“Christian” colleges ranked
In an interesting article, the top 323 “distinctly Christian” colleges (perhaps “faith-based” may be a better reference point for most of us) are ranked using 46 measures to quantify the educational quality of the schools. For those desiring robust academic scholarship and programs, this may prove to be a helpful study. The Catholics come out quite strong in this. Most of the Evangelical colleges you may be aware of show up in various places on this list. No surprise (to me at least), Wheaton ranks the highest among the “non-denoms” at #9. Other good Evangelical schools of note are Taylor at #22, Calvin at #24 and Cedarville at #31.

Speaking of Catholics…
Pope Francis died on Monday. He had been the head of the Roman Catholic Church for 12 years. He was a leader who cared greatly about peace, about social justice, and about the poor and marginalized.

Francis differed significantly in style and emphasis from his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI (a scholar and theologian). Netflix produced a very interesting and enjoyable film starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce called The Two Popes. It is based on the story of the succession of Benedict by Francis and highlights their differences with grace and insight.

I’m not an outer space geek, but…
These photos of Mars are pretty amazing.