Embrace The Comfort Of God
Photo by Tom The Photographer on Unsplash
Comfort Is The Blessing God Desires To Give All Humanity
by Eric Elkin
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.”
George Frideric Handel ruined my ability to read Isaiah 40. Whenever I attempt to read the prophecy, my mind immediately jumps to the opening song of Handel’s Messiah. You may hear me saying, “Comfort, comfort my people…” but in my head, I am singing, “Comfort Ye.” If you are in the congregation, be thankful the song is in my head because I am neither a soloist nor a tenor.
Words printed on a piece of paper lack the full character intended by the writer. They need to be verbalized to reflect the author’s intent. I think Isaiah 40 was meant to be sung, and Handel understood this as a composer. He was so effective in communicating this point that I feel I am not respecting the words by reading them.
If you want to know what it sounds like for God to speak tenderly to Jerusalem, listen to the violins introducing us to the song, “Comfort Ye, Comfort Ye, My People.” They play as if they are trying to put an infant to sleep. When we are about to close our eyes, the voice of God enters. God’s voice is not a trumpet blast or an earthquake. The voice of God is a tenor full of passion and comfort.
Johann Sebastian Bach’s sacred oratorios exalted the power of God. Handel, on the other hand, captured the feelings of humans. He was so good at this that when we listen to the voice of God, the thing we feel most deeply is our comfort. It is what makes George Frideric Handel a master and Messiah a masterpiece.
“How wonderful to be a member of the evangelical church, which preaches the free grace of God through Christ as the hope of sinners! If we were to rely on our works-my God, what would become of us?”
Handel introduced Messiah to the world on April 13, 1742, in Dublin, Ireland. He was at the peak of his popularity. Yet, he was not the only attraction. Contralto, Susannah Cibber, the Taylor Swift of her day, was part of the ensemble. People were drawn to her voice and the controversy surrounding her performance. Cibber was in the midst of a scandalous divorce.
Legend has it that on that first night, the performance was interrupted by a priest. When Susannah Cibber finished singing, “He was despised and rejected of men,” the Rev. Patrick Delaney shouted, “Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven thee!” I wonder why he waited so long. Why not stand up and yell those words in the opening song when God sang, “Their warfare is now over. All their sins our God will pardon?”
Our comfort is the blessing God desires to give all humanity. But, I guess we cannot fully grasp this through words, or songs, even if they are spoken or sung by God. We desire Emmanuel, God with us. Yet, even then, we struggle to grasp the concept. As you journey to Christmas, listen to the voice of God. Hear that your spiritual warfare is over, your sins are forgiven and embrace the comfort of God’s presence in your life.
Click to read Isaiah 40: 1-11
Reflection Questions:
When has a song helped you remember written words?
How does music speak to your soul?
When have you desired comfort? And what does that feel like?
How often to you associate your comfort with God’s desire for you?
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