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Comfort arrives before the crib ever does. We open Isaiah 40:1–5 and find God’s first word to a weary world: comfort. From there, we trace the highway imagery through the wilderness, valleys raised, mountains lowered and see how this ancient promise becomes a practical guide for the Advent season.
I share why preparation is not performance but consent to God’s work. If your heart feels like a wilderness, this reflection offers a steady path toward hope. Subscribe to follow the full Christmas devotional series, share this episode with someone who needs peace, and leave a review to help more listeners find encouragement this season.
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Podcast Music by: prazkhanal
Song: Whip
Episode Transcript
Hello, hello.
This is Jesse Morgan Devotionsfor the Christian Heart Podcast.
Welcome, welcome.
This year I'm bringing my 25-dayChristmas devotional to life in
a new way.
Beginning on day 11 through day25, each devotional entry now
has a matching mini podcastepisode, a simple 8 to 10 minute
reflection designed to help youslow down and truly sit with the
(00:22):
story of Jesus' birth.
Each episode clearly follows thesame day as the written
devotional, so day 11 in thebook is day 11 on the podcast
and so forth.
My hope is that these dailyaudio reflections make the
journey to Christmas feel evenmore personal, peaceful, and
meaningful.
Thank you for being here.
Let's go.
(00:46):
Preparing the way for Jesus,episode 86, day 19, key passage,
Isaiah 40, 1 through 5.
And it says, Comfort, comfort mypeople, says your God, speak
tenderly to Jerusalem andproclaim to her that her hand
her hard service has beencompleted, that her sin has been
(01:06):
paid for, that she has receivedfrom the Lord's hand double for
all her sins.
A voice of one calling in thewilderness prepare, the way for
the Lord, make straight in thedesert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,every mountain and hill made
low, the rough ground shallbecome level, the rugged places
(01:28):
is a plain, and the glory of theLord will be revealed, and all
the people will see it together,for the mouth of the Lord has
spoken.
Today I want to spend a fewminutes in Isaiah forty, a
passage written hundreds ofyears before Jesus was born, yet
one that speaks so clearly intothe moment of his arrival.
(01:49):
It begins with the words,Comfort, comfort, my people,
says your Lord.
That tells us somethingimportant, because God brings a
Savior into the world, he speakscomfort.
Before the miracle of Bethlehem,before the manger, before the
angels and the shepherds, Godreassures his people here.
This was spoken to Israel duringa season of exile and
discipline.
(02:09):
And when they felt forgotten,and God yet says, I love I see
you, I haven't left you.
Isn't that so fitting, the birthof Jesus?
Jesus didn't come in a worldthat had it all together.
He came in a world that was veryweary, broken, and desperate for
help and hope.
The birth of Christ is God'sultimate comfort to humanity, I
(02:33):
feel.
Isaiah goes on to say in in thispassage that people's hard
service has been completed andtheir sin has been paid for.
That doesn't mean the peopleearned forgiveness.
It means God was alreadypointing towards grace.
Even before Jesus was born, Godwas declaring that restoration
was coming.
(02:54):
Then in verse 3 of Isaiah 40, itsays, a voice of one calling the
calling in the wilderness,prepare the way for the Lord.
We often associate this withJohn the Baptist.
Because if it you continuereading into the Gospels, John
the Baptist lived in thewilderness.
And honestly, this is rightfullyso that it was associated that
(03:15):
this verse was associated withit.
But long before John stood inthe wilderness, Isaiah was
reminding us that God alwaysprepares hearts before he sends
the deliverer or thedeliverance.
Before Jesus entered the world,God was already aligning
history, prophecy, and purpose.
Preparation does matter.
(03:36):
The birth of Jesus wasn'trushed, it was intentional.
And Isaiah paints this beautifulpicture of valleys being raised
and mountains being made low.
Spiritually speaking, this tellsus something really, really
powerful.
God levels what stands in theway of his presence.
The low places of despair, fear,and shame are lifted.
(03:58):
The high places of pride andself-sufficiency are brought
down.
That's exactly what Jesus doeswhen he enters our lives.
He levels everything out.
And then Isaiah ends with thispromise The glory of the Lord
will be revealed, and all thepeople will see it together.
When Jesus was born inBethlehem, God's glory wasn't
(04:18):
hidden in a palace.
It was revealed in humility, inthe birth.
Shepherds saw it, wise mentraveled for it, heaven itself
announced it.
The glory of God entered enteredthe world in human form, so that
all the people could see him,know him, and be saved.
Isaiah 40 reminds us that thebirth of Jesus wasn't just a
(04:39):
moment in history, it was thefulfillment of God's promise to
comfort, restore, and to dwellamongst his people.
So as we reflect on the birth ofChrist, may we remember this.
God still prepares the way, Godstill brings comfort, and God
still reveals his glory, oftenin the most unexpected places.
Let's pray.
(05:00):
Lord, thank you for sendingJesus as our comfort and our
hope.
Help us to prepare our hearts toreceive you fully.
Level anything within us thatstands in the way of your
presence.
We praise you for keeping yourpromises and revealing your
glory through Jesus Christ.
Father, we love you and wepraise you in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Love you all.
(05:20):
Till next time.
Thank you for listening.
This episode is part of myChristmas devotional series
inspired by my writtendevotional, 25 Days Till
Christmas, a scripture-filledjourney preparing our hearts to
celebrate the birth of Jesus.
I invite you to read along andreflect on his story in a deeper
way.
Details in the show notes forthe written devotional.
(05:42):
And it also says in Scripture,Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth, peace, goodwilltowards men.
Luke 2.14.
And don't miss the nextreflection in this Christmas
series by subscribing to thepodcast to continue walking
through God's Word this season.
And a little bit about me.
I'm Jesse Morgan, wife, mom, anddevotional writer and podcaster
(06:02):
who loves sharing biblicalencouragement and the hope we
find in Jesus.
Till next time, Jesse Morgansigning off.
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